Savage Force (AU)
by AnsemD
Summary: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away started the first bunny who was ever trained as a Jedi Knight to her first mission. Not knowing that this journey would change her life even more than her training as a Jedi ever did. If you like lightsaber duels, the Force, Sith, Jedi, Romance, and space battles, then be more than welcome to this story.
1. Suspicious Clients and Gambling Foxes

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away

the first bunny, who was trained as a Jedi Knight,

started a low ranked mission towards a

Peaceful planet.

The task, which consisted of finding lost scientists

was given to her by her former Jedi Master

and one of the eldest of the Council - Bogo.

Meanwhile gathered a large number of Jedi

near the planet Anx Minor,

To investigate rumors about

Dark side force users

which were on the rise.

When the stories are true

Then the Sith Order has returned to the galaxy,

After 1000 years after their disappearance.

Curious and full of ambition traveled the young Jedi

to Telnas IV, not knowing which

danger lay ahead of her.

* * *

 **Chapter 1 - Suspicious Clients and Gambling Foxes**

* * *

!FYI! The events in this story are taking place approximately one year before the events of the Phantom Menace !FYI!

Location: Republic Space towards Telnas IV

* * *

Annoyed about her first task and how she got it, Judy sat restlessly in the much too big Captain's chair and tried in vain to calm herself down. But no matter what she tried, her mind wouldn't come to rest and so wouldn't her right feet. She still thought about the words of eldest Bogo.

"You're not ready, Hopps. Your eagerness is still your greatest enemy. So, let it go. I see great potential in you but also the chance to destroy yourself," Judy mocked the voice of her former master in the empty space ship.

Those were his last words to her before he entered the command ship that was leading a large group of Jedi to Anx Minor, where they prepared for a fight against an unknown dark side force user. If the rumors were true Judy, on the other paw, was on her way to find some missing scientists, who probably got stranded on some lonely planet in the Outer Rim.

She wanted to prove herself, so why couldn't her former master understand this?

"Eagerness is maybe my biggest weakness but it's also what got me here. Without it, I would still be stuck on my home planet Lepori, not knowing what I should do with my life," Judy said into the void of the ship.

The stars flew by her cockpit, like thousand little white stripes of light. Judy watched them in a trance while memories came back to her about days that were long gone.

She thought about how excited she once was about everything new she saw, especially when she made her first trip through hyperspace. It was the flight to Coruscant, the one where she left as a normal citizen of the republic and began her new life. There, she could finally become what she always wanted to be - a Jedi.

All of that seemed so far away but there were still some connections to her past. Usually, a Jedi had to cut all ties to his old family. The Order and his duties were his new family from the moment she spoke the words of her vow until the second of her death. The contact with her own family should be kept to a minimum or better be not existing at all, but Judy couldn't do that. She was too much of a family mammal for that.

But now was not the time to think about her family, Judy Hopps, the first bunny who was ever trained as a Jedi and recently also promoted to the rank of a Jedi Knight, was given her first assignment to her first solo mission. She was supposed to go to Telnas IV and get further instructions to search for twelve missing scientists, that was all the elder Bogo had told her. Judy didn't completely understand what she should do there. Usually, this was the job of other institutions but not the right one for a Jedi, even though she knew that she was obliged to help all living beings who needed her help. But this? And right now? She could be on Anx Minor, preparing herself with the rest of the order for the upcoming fight...but no. She had to search for some missing scientists.

But it couldn't be changed, Judy sat alone in the Captain's chair of the Stargazer, a cargo ship that was known in the republic as the VCX-100. It was an old but reliable spaceship and luckily for her, it had only recently been renewed and equipped with slightly better technology. The ship itself had one deck and several cabins for crewmembers. All in all, there could be a crew of eight permanent members or up to twenty or thirty persons for short transports on this freighter. The ship was mostly round with some extended wings on the side and a little bridge for the captain and two more crew members. Elon the mechanic, who had just renewed the ship had a very specific opinion about the ship and thought it would be a good idea to talk to Judy shortly before she had to leave Coruscant, "If you have a fight with another spaceship, forget it. This thing is too clumsy and way too stiff to have a real chance of winning. So do yourself a favor, if you have any enemy in your neck while flying, search the nearest mountain or asteroid and fly into it, it's faster and less painful...Oh, you're also the first captain of this old beauty. So you still have to name the AI and the ship. Any ideas?"

Judy thought just for a second before she replied with a smile, "Stargazer."

Judy swallowed hard after she heard the words from her mechanic and hoped that there would be no combat during her mission. She was not a great pilot and Elon's joke did the rest for her current mood. To all of this came the weaponry, which was minimal at best than a real threat to potential enemies. It consisted of a blaster turret on top and two blaster guns for the captain, that was all.

With the last changes was now at least a hot shower possible and maybe a warm meal. The last point, however, depended on how talented the crew was and since the crew just consisted of the young doe and the board AI the chances were small for a warm meal and even worse for something tasty. The Jedi Order maybe taught you to fight with a lightsaber and move objects with the force, but they never thought about giving some cooking lessons to the recruits for bad times.

Judy inhaled deeply and leaned back in the captain's chair, her head resting on her left paw, watching indifferently as the controls in front of her blinked and showed different values. Judy was tired. Why? Because excitement for the first own mission was a way stronger neuroenhancer than caffeine or other drugs and she got a full portion of drama last night. But right now, she was in need of sleep, and she didn't know how long she could stay awake.

"Hey Patty, How long does it take us to get to Telnas IV," Judy asked the board AI, which responded with a warm and female voice, "Hello, Captain! The time until arrival is 2 hours, 16 minutes and 33 seconds. The weather at the capital of Telnas IV is sunny, with almost no wind and pleasant 27 degrees Celsius. Do you want to know anything else about Telnas IV?"

"Thanks, that would be all, but please tell me the arrival time every quarter, to keep me up to date," Judy replied and closed her eyes for a short moment.

"Task registered," Patty replied and remained silent.

Her mind was drifting slowly away and into the planes of dreams when a familiar sound came to her ears. As soon as her eyes opened, she saw the green communication icon on the screen to her left. Below him the short but meaningful word 'family.' Judy cursed at this moment about the technology of interstellar communication, and of course, the fact that she hadn't turned off her communication device before the mission had started.

'Oh, please, no. . . Not now,' Judy thought and rolled her eyes. Quickly, she tried to change her facial expression and put on a forced smile. The young doe exhaled deeply before she pushed the button to accept the call from her home planet.

"Heyyyy, it's my parents!"

"Oh! There she is! Hi sweetheart," Bonnie, her mother, exclaimed happily and tried to pull her husband, Stu, into the camera's field of vision.

"Hey there, Jude, how are you doing? How was your first day with the 'force,'" Stu Hopps said with a grin on his face. Actually, Judy would have liked to roll her eyes, but she tried to pull herself together and played the game for them.

'Come on, Judy, that was one bad joke. Normally he made more in shorter intervals.'

"It was great, I already got my first important mission . . . And yeah, what should I say, I think I really make a difference here," Judy replied, her parents were still watching her with high anticipation. To Judy's lousy luck reacted just now, Patty, with a current update.

"Hello Captain, the time we need before we arrive on Telnas IV is now exactly 2 hours and 15 minutes," Patty replied dutifully. Judy could just facepalm herself for this.

"Wait a second . . . Bonnie, did you hear that?"

"Oh, my sweet heaven. Judy, is your mission really on Telnas IV?" Bonnie asked with paws cupped over her muzzle.

"Oh, this . . . No! No, no ,no . . . Th-that's just the starting point. Who knows where such a crazy mission will take me?" Judy replied.

"Did you hear that Stu? Telnas IV! That's one of the safest planets in the Republic, do you remember we spent some time during our honeymoon there," Bonnie said and turned to her husband, who was furious with joy.

"She is not on a serious mission! Our prayers have been answered," Stu Hopps screamed through the interstellar communication device. Right then, Judy wished for any kind of distraction to end the conversation. Maybe a malfunction of the systems, an asteroid, smugglers, pirates, or really anything that would free her from this awkward situation.

"Oh, glorious day!" Bonnie shouted towards the camera and Judy sank more and more into her seat.

"Oh-ho! Telnas IV, Telnas IV, Telnas IV, Telnas IV . . . " Stew shouted until he had almost no more breath to keep up his singing. Judy was already too annoyed to keep calm, years of Jedi training or not.

"Dad. Dad! DAD! You know what guys, I have a serious mission in front of me, so if you would excuse me, I have to prepare myself," Judy said.

"That's right, prepare yourself, honey. And keep an eye open for xerulanic bed bugs, you know, they are the worst," Bonnie said and stepped back. Both parents shouted a last, "Bye-Bye," before the line went dead.

"Buh-bye . . . ," Judy replied more to herself and fell back into the captain's chair.

"Captain, you seem to be depressed. Can I do something for you?" the artificial intelligence asked from the depth of the room, while Judy tried to massage her temples. Sleep that is what Judy needed at the moment and the decision for a little nap was in the end not so difficult for her.

"Yes, wake me when we arrive," Judy said, snuggled herself in her brown coat and pulled the hood over her face. Smiling about the warm and comfy clothing, her eyelids dropped fast.

'Ahh nice and cozy, exactly how I like it . . . Well, what have I done that I deserve such a treatment? Bogo gives me a dull mission, my parents mock me for it...No, both of them just thought about what would be the best for me. And to be honest, it can only get better from here on, Judy. It can only get better, it can only...'

* * *

Telnas IV

"Captain?"

"Captain?"

"Wha…?"

"Captain, we are called from the planetary defense unit of Telnas IV. Should I respond, that you are still . . . unavailable?" Patty asked from the console in front of Judy. The purple eyes of the young doe snapped instantly open as she felt the lingering threat in front of her and recognized slowly the blue and green planet outside of her cockpit . . . And of course, the planetary defense unit, which consisted of two X-Fighter which had already activated their weapons and waited impatiently for a response from her.

"*yawn* . . . Stargazer, here. Judy Hopps ordered Jedi Knight from the Jedi Council of Coruscant. Validation code zero, four, alpha, nine, theta, sigma, six, omicron . . . *yawn*, Please respond," Judy said and waited for the static crackling to fade.

While she was still busy rubbing her eyes, she wondered why the whole procedure took so long. After another agonizing minute of waiting, both Starfighters closed their wings and the leading one reported via intercom.

"Excuse me, Miss, we will escort you to the Governor. He's already waiting for you," a young voice said via intercom.

"Did you just say, governor?"

"Yes, Miss. Everything else will be discussed with you in the palace," the pilot replied after a short break.

"All right, please go ahead, I'll follow. Hopps out," Judy replied and jumped off the captain's seat. After briefly stretching her limbs, the young knight set off to her cabin to smooth her fur once again, which was no longer in the right position after the little nap she took and which would displease a Governor for sure.

"Patty?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"Follow them, but scan our surroundings for suspicious things," Judy said. A little smile wrapped around her muzzle as she thought about the new information.

'Maybe this story is bigger after all? A meeting with the Governor?' Judy thought.

"Captain? Could you please specify your command?"

"Oh, yes. You're right. That was pretty unspecific. Mmh, I have the feeling that something's not right. So please, look out for anything that has no place on a peaceful planet like this," Judy replied and sank back into her mind and walked into her cabin, where she instantly started to brush her fur.

'Maybe all this is just my imagination or my mind trying to make more of it, but why would the governor of an entire planet want to talk to me and to find twelve persons? Are they so important? But if they are so important, why aren't they in every news report that you can see on every news station? That makes no sense,' Judy thought with her right paw cupped around her muzzle.

"I will try my best, Captain," Patty replied. The ship slowly started moving again and after a short flight began Patty to enter the atmosphere of the planet. Heavy vibrations shook the whole ship, but Judy didn't notice much of it. She floated, thanks to the force, cross-legged a few centimeters above the ground and patiently brushed the fur on her head.

'Sometimes the force is quite useful,' Judy thought and chuckled about herself. It took another five minutes until Patty talked to her again. This time, she was ready to go.

"Captain, we have arrived, I'm just setting down. Please be careful."

"Thanks, Patty," Judy answered and went to the exit of the ship that was located at the stern. As she stood in front of the grey door that would open any moment, she prepared for the sunlight and put the brown hood over her head. As always, Judy liked the mysterious look it created for others.

The steel door slowly opened and the light of an evening sun flooded the little room. Judy was not even entirely out of the ship as she heard somebody talking to her.

"We welcome you! Great Jedi master of . . . Wait? Who are you?"

The voice shifted in seconds from delighted to unpleasant, as he, a Gammorean with big black eyes, green skin and more or less Judy's height, saw and understood whom the Jedi council had sent.

A rookie.

Judy knew what would follow, she was used to it by now. The sunlight was no problem anymore, and Judy pulled her hood back, revealing her true identity and letting the mouth with the little sharp teeth from the alien drop.

"My name is Judy Hopps, and I am the send Jedi Knight from Coruscant. It's a pleasure to meet you," Judy replied without responding to his insulting tone.

"Ah . . . Well, we waited for someone more . . . Impressive. Anyhow, my name is Talek. Please follow me, Knight,"

"And I expected someone more friendly, but well, we can't all have what we want, right?" Judy replied with a smile.

For a short moment, Talek seemed as if he wanted to answer but his open mouth closed fast, all that was left now was a toxic smile on his green lips.

Talek wore a robe in white and red, the typical colors Telnas IV and he also looked arrogant enough to be the right hand of the Governor.

Around Judy were multiple other landing platforms. Most of them were already occupied by massive military transport units, which were currently in the process to be loaded. The governor's residence itself laid directly connected to the landing platforms on a rock, multiple hundred meters above the ground on a steep hill. There was no option to enter it without the use of a space- or aircraft. The residence itself resembled more a gothic church made out of marble and gold than a real house or Villa. Shining like a landmark, stood the palace high above the center of Artok, the capital city of Telnas IV.

Behind Talek walked two guards, also dressed in white and red. Both had an automatic blaster in their hands but didn't look willing to use them. Judy could feel no threat lingering in the near around her, and so she followed Talek over a small bridge, which connected the landing platforms with the residence itself. Patty hadn't lied about the weather, it definitely was more than enjoyable.

"We have been waiting a long time for an answer from the Order, so far without success."

"Well, I was told this question is very new and relatively incomplete. Most likely a mistake from the order...Anyhow, I was just told to find 12 people who seem important to this planet, that's all."

Without turning to Judy, all four entered the entrance hall of the residence. Everything in the building was just as Judy had imagined it. From beautiful stone walls that were clean and decorated in the colors of Telnas IV. White and red as far as the eye could see and armed guards everywhere.

'For a peaceful planet, however, there were a lot of military units stationed here,' Judy thought and looked further around to gather as much information and impressions as possible.

"Mmh, now Miss 'Knight', what we're looking for are twelve scientists. They disappeared on a research expedition into another system and unfortunately never reached their original destination. Oh dear, What a crazy and brutal time we live in. It's truly a shame." Talek replied and shook his head dramatically.

After the last corridor, Judy was sure that something wasn't right here. Everything had one very obvious thing in common and that were a lot of soldiers and not even a grain of dust. This place was on his feet. For what, Judy couldn't say.

They finally stopped in front of a massive wooden gate, which only Judy would pass. Talek stood beside the entrance and grinned at her one last time.

"Good luck, little Jedi," Talek said with a grin that showed his many teeth but Judy didn't react to him at all and just continued to walk in.

'Little Jedi! Pah! Master Yoda is called the greatest Jedi of our time and he's just as tall as...let it go, Judy and just remember. Your one with the force and the force is with you,' Judy reminded herself and exhaled deeply before she went on.

The gates closed behind her and Judy stood alone in the large conference room, with a wide circular table in the middle of it. There was also a wide window on the opposite side of the entrance, showing the surrounding landscape in all its beauty. Even from her current position, Judy could see large parts of the city below with its large buildings made of steel and glass. She felt that there was someone else in the room with her, but for the moment Judy just wanted to take a closer look at the city that lay to her feet. With a steady step, the young Jedi walked in front of the window and enjoyed the view over the mountains for a moment. The tall lion, who was sitting behind her in an armchair, also admired the city below and remained silent.

'He ordered you, not the other way around. Let him start the talking,' Judy thought.

"Beautiful. Don't you think?" Lionheart asked and looked down at the city.

"Definitely. But I usually don't have the time to enjoy something like this," Judy answered with honest sadness in her voice.

"Too bad, sometimes I only come here to enjoy the view. Very well, then . . . I'm honest, I expected. . . Someone else. Someone. . . ," Governor Lionheart began.

". . . Taller?" Judy replied with a smile on her lips.

"More experienced, I meant to say," Lionheart lied and both knew it. The governor sat in his armchair, also dressed in white and red, but additionally covered with a little it of gold to show his higher rank. He folded his paws and waited for an explanation.

'He's no better than Talek,' Judy thought,' but at least he's trying to lie.'

"As you know, most Jedi forces are bundled around Anx Minor. I am what the Jedi Council could send you to help," Judy said, watching the streets below her. Down there in the streets, a seemingly endless caravan of vehicles moved through the small paths of downtown with its high buildings of glass and stell. It resembled almost a metal snake, that was on its way through the city but would never end.

"In other words, you are on your own and in case of doubt, you can't even call for reinforcements, is that correct?"

Judy turned to Lionheart for the first time and looked at him extensively. No smile from the lion, just him staring at her.

"Now . . . . This is also a way of looking at the situation," Judy replied with growing suspicion.

"Alright, I will tell you what you need to know. Two weeks ago, twelve of our best scientists disappeared on their way to Vohai. We don't know where it happened along the way, but we know the name of the person responsible for this crime and his whereabouts," Lionheart said emphatically.

"I still can't quite understand where I stand in this story," Judy started to reply.

"The criminal responsible is a renegade Jedi named Nicholas Wilde. Unfortunately, the name is all I can give you as information. The private Jedi archives are not accessible to outsiders. But ... this should be known to you."

For a moment, Judi was shocked that a Jedi should be responsible for the abduction of twelve scientists.

'A renegade Jedi? As good as impossible, apostates will be prosecuted immediately and punished if possible, depending on what they have done. What is going on here?' Judy thought.

"What is with the information about the scientists and the whereabouts of the apostate?"

"All the information we have was already sent to your ship."

"Of course," Judy said and bowed briefly, "I will get to work immediately."

Judy, who was about to leave, turned around in direction from where she was coming from. Lionheart also got up and walked towards the window and stopped right in front of it.

"I wish you good luck, Jedi Knight Hopps, especially more than your two predecessors," Lionheart said from the window, his voice was loud and annoying. In fact, he was loud enough to send an unpleasant shiver down Judy's spine.

Half the room was already behind her when she stopped and tried to process what she just heard from him. Her voice felt insecure when she asked what made no sense to her at this moment.

"Predecessors?"

"Yes? Didn't Talek tell you that already?"

For a moment, time seemed to stand still for Judy before she decided to do what she liked least and that was to lie.

"Of course . . . How could I forget such important information? My apologies Governor. This little bunny mind could not keep all the information that was given to her."

Slow and steady, Judy walked to the massive gate. Nobody should raise suspicion, and so she tried to keep herself calm. Wordless, the Jedi left the hall and made her way back to her ship.

Lionheart stood at the window for a long time andseemed to be waiting for something or rather someone. While he watched the town underneath him, a shadow loosened from the darkness of the room. Without waiting for the question, the unknown creature began to speak.

"Why did you mention the predecessors? That wasn't what you were supposed to do," the shadow said audibly annoyed.

"I wanted to see how she reacts and what she showed was interesting…," Lionheart said.

"And what was that?"

"She lied . . . Because Talek never gave her this information, but she played along nonetheless. She had a suspicion and had it even before, so much is sure and shouldn't be taken lightly. Do you understand?"

"Yes," the shadow answered with annoyance.

"Good because if you don't make a mistake, their fate is already sealed. You heard her, right? No backup, nothing. She is alone."

Just a node and nothing else came from the listener.

"Follow her and don't forget we want both alive, as our final test subjects."

"Of course," the shadow answered and slowly disappeared back into the shadows behind him. A scornful laugh came to Lionheart as he thought about the whole situation.

'Darth Lepus, he should better watch out and do what his master tells him and don't go on my nerves. I really ask myself if Lord Ovis has him under control,' Lionheart thought and continued watching the town below him.

"Patty, start the engine and bring us away from this planet," Judy shouted as soon as she entered the Stargazer. The young doe jumped over the back of the captain's seat and landed softly on it. Immediately, she started to type commands into the console in front of her.

With a loud and heavy shatter, Patty started the old freighter and emerged quickly from the planet and entered space. As soon as Judy felt the change from gravitation to the artificial gravity of the ship, a deep sigh escaped her muzzle, and she leaned back into the seat.

"Did you get the information from our friends, Patty?" Judy asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Yes, Captain."

"Did you find anything unusual on the surface of the planet?"

"No captain."

"Blueberries…, " Judy cursed and cupped her right paw in front of her muzzle thinking about her current situation and what possibilities are left for her and how her chances would stand right now.

"But . . . I searched the local networks for news and information about the twelve scientists," Patty stated and raised Judy's attention even more.

"And. . . ?"

"Nothing. There are no news or reports about missing scientists or other missing persons. My apologies that I could not be helpful for you, Captain," Patty replied.

"Oh, that was very useful. Thank you."

Judy knew that the situation she was in was suspicious and probably dangerous, yet she began to smile. On the one paw because a picture of what was going on slowly emerged in her mind and on the other paw because Judy felt that this could be the mission to prove herself to the Jedi council and her master.

'Maybe I would have been a good cop, after all, not a meter maid but a real cop,' Judy thought and chuckled about the idea,' Well, too late Judy, you've chosen your path and now go for it.'

"Okay, Patty, where are we going?"

Judy sounded happy even though she knew it was life and death from now on but wasn't that always the case for a Jedi? Haven't you ever been exposed to adverse dangers, and wasn't that also a part of what drove the Jedi to this kind of life? Well, if not all Jedi then at least this bunny.

"Our target is in the Besh Gorgon system in the mid-rim. We need to fly to a space station called 'The Wheel.' According to my information, it is notorious for its casinos, excesses and the encounter of suspicious characters," Patty said.

"Can you give me some more information about that space station, Patty," Judy asked. Her right paw played again with her lightsaber, which hung from the right side of her belt, a habit she developed during long flights through the galaxy.

"The Wheel is a massive space station, which was built more than 40 years ago. By now it has about 300,000 residents. The name itself results from a huge ring that is one of the two main parts of the station. In the center of the ring exists a tower, which is over two bridges connected to the ring. That tower contains the two biggest casinos, the Grand Casino and the Crimson Casino, as well as the command and control center of the whole station . . . ," Patty explained.

"Thanks, that's enough...I think I've heard of it, but I've never been there...I mean why would I, but it sounds like fun," Judy replied and chuckled about the idea, how it would look when a Jedi would go to a casino.

"Captain?"

"Forget it...Please take the fastest possible course to this infamous space station."

It took Patty a while to complete the calculations for the journey through the Hyperspace. Judy used the time to write a message for the Jedi Council and signed it with her personal Jedi code. A contingency plan in case it fails, allowing others to complete the mission. After a while, Patty returned and confirmed the beginning of her journey in hyperspace.

"Route is set, entry into hyperspace in . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1."

Stars blurred in front of the cockpit and a slight jolt shook the entire ship, Judy simply loved it when the whole ship was going over into Hyperspace, she couldn't explain why. It was for her just an odd feeling that she loved, just like some people love the fall during a rollercoaster ride.

"Tell me, Patty, do you have access to the Jedi archives?"

"Yes, Captain. How can I help you?"

"Give me all the information you have about a Jedi, called Nicholas Wilde."

"One moment please," Patty replied, and Judy knew it was time to wait, access to the archives from outside Coruscant could take an eternity or be done in seconds, it always depended on your current location in the galaxy. This time, it took just five minutes.

"Here is all the information on Nicholas Piberius Wilde available in the archives. Age 32, species Vulpes, main coat color red, eye color green. Rang, Jedi Knight. His last known mission was a rescue mission on the Sarai Mine Planet, where he saved several children. Current condition deceased."

"Deceased? Are you sure this isn't a mistake?

"I'm checking . . . No, status deceased."

"Well, then I'm more than excited to see that ghost fox," Judy said and leaned back into the captain's chair with a smile on her face.

'Maybe this whole thing will be more interesting than I have thought and even bigger than I expected,' Judy thought and closed her eyes for a moment and decided to use the remaining time for another nap.

'Who knows when I'll get the next chance to take a nap.'

* * *

The Wheel - Bash Gorgon System

The Crimson Casino was named after the crimson debt which was a blood duty you had to fulfill if you weren't able to pay your debts and gave the common phrase 'That you lose more than money when you lose in the Crimson Casino.' a whole other meaning. The place itself was located in the highest tower of the Wheel. With its long and well-equipped bars, hundreds of gaming tables, slot machines, and other obscure gambling opportunities it was one of the best tests in the Galaxy how much greed could be good for one being.

Gold, glass, and marble were everywhere, artificial waterfalls let the customers feel the luxury of the space station. Even the roof was just one big window to let in the light of the nearby solar system, showing an asteroid belt that wasn't too far away and the sun which gave the Wheel a natural night and day cycle. As beautiful as everything seemed, in the end, this place was nothing more than a magnet for fortune-knights, adventurers and lost souls.

What Nicholas Wilde was? Well, he was a little bit of everything and because of that, he was more than perfect for this station.

One table stood out among the hundred of Sabacc gambling tables. It was placed upon a stage, with several hundred participants from every corner of the Galaxy around it. Carefully, they watched how the last three participants of a long game in an even longer tournament made their choices for the game. Only one of them still had a smile on his face.

"Welcome back, Ladies and gentlemen! The last round of the Grand Galaxy Gambling Tournament is about to go down in history as the one where one winner will receive the incredible amount of 100 million Republican credits! Yes, you heard correct! A one with more zeros than you will ever need in your life," the colorfully dressed host of the event exclaimed loudly into the cheering masses.

"But for now, let's give you a quick overview of the three remaining participants. On the left side, we have Selik Dray. Selik is the kind of guy who likes to drink a little bit too much during tournaments. For the fans, he's better known as the drunken Gambler!"

"To the right, we have a mysterious Sullustan with the name Yurt, who refused to give us any more information about him. I would say we're fine with that as long as he delivers us an interesting game!"

"And last but definitely not least, we have here the fox you all know and love. The smirking face, the red wonder of the crimson casino or to put it simply... Nicholas Wiiiiilde," the host exclaimed in an ecstatic tone, followed by a short break for the applause to die down, "Whoever played against him knows that a round on his table feels as if he could read your mind or trick you into doing some pretty stupid things."

'Am I ready to win the whole pot? Oh yes, I definitely am. The plan is set and if everything goes smoothly, Finnick could already place a bet a large sum on my head to win this tournament...An investment of a million republican credits and if my math is right, we could leave this place with 500 million in total. Depending on the odds...oh man, just imagine. With that money, I could buy myself a space station of my own. Calm down Wilde, it's not over. You still have to win these last games, before it is done,' Nick thought and made a little jump onto the table, followed by a bow to his loyal audience. The people around him applauded even louder about such a display of confidence. One member of the crowd even shouted something at him.

"Good luck, fox!"

Nick had to smile about this and gave the guy who wished him luck a thumbs up.

'Well, luck is relative for someone like me and to be honest, I almost feel a little bit sorry about those two beside me... but not too much. Winning against a professional gambler is one thing but winning against a professional gambler who was once a Jedi? Good luck with that.'

So it began and the cards were flying over the table, thrown to every participant by an android in pure gold.

"Come on, Yurt, pull or drop it, in three rounds it'll all be over . . . Maybe I'll buy you a little drink after the match is over? Ahh, heck. You know what? Drinks are on me but sorry Selik, the offer only applies to our Sullustan buddy over here. You drink too much for my taste. If I would invite you then my new fortune would be immediately gone," Nick joked and grinned at the faces of the two players who just gave him a scornful look back. They knew they couldn't win anymore but giving up was not an option.

"Alright, alright . . . I get it. You two are not having a good game, but you know what? From time to time, you might be happy for others and not just yourselves," Nick said and dropped his cards on the table, finishing the current round with another victory.

"Haha! Damn, I'm good!" Nick shouted out and the audience began once again to cheer for him. But this time, something else happened as well. Something he didn't notice and that was how a small and hooded person was walking towards him and the gambling table.

Quickly and without long words, Nick finished the next two rounds and was now almost at his goal.

"It is time, Ladies and Gentlemen! The last game of this tournament has begun and it looks very promising for our Vulpean participant," the host announced loudly and the game began. Ten more minutes of card dealing, until Nick held the last one in his paws. He had won.

'Just one more card and I'm done..., ' Nick thought and saw that someone was standing at the edge of the gambling table. The person was small, very small and definitely not a humanoid. But he could see clearly how her purple eyes were staring at him.

"Nicholas Wilde? My name is Judy Hopps, and I want to talk to you."

Nick, who already held the final card in his paw, looked up from them and into the purple eyes of a small fluffy creature he finally recognized as a bunny. With an appreciative look at the doe, Nick tried to understand what she wanted from him, but right now he was too deep into the game and couldn't even recognize one of his own kind — a Jedi.

"What's going on fluff, the massage that I ordered was originally planned for my victory party and not now. So hop along cutie." The fox said while holding his last card in his paw.

The doe's face darkened as she heard the fox's cheeky words and decided to show him what it meant to joke with her.

"Again, my name is Judy Hopps, and I'm a Jedi Knight from the Jedi Order of Coruscant, and I'm here to talk to you," Judy replied.

"Really, too bad I have no idea what you are talking about, fluff. I think you mistake me for someone else. Jedi? I have no business with self-proclaimed galaxy saviors."

"Fine, you want it the hard way. Nicholas Wilde, You're under arrest," Judy said severely. Nick, however, was still looking at his card not understanding or not willing to understand that the game was over.

"Oh, for what? Hurting your feelings?" Nick replied with a smug grin on his face.

The smile quickly returned to Judy's face when she realized that he didn't take her seriously. She liked it when other people underestimated her, it always was good for a big surprise.

"Unauthorized use of 'the Force' during a gambling tournament. Do you really think I wouldn't recognize your little mind tricks to win this game? And by the way, this ban has existed for more than a thousand years, and you should be aware of it. After all, you are a Jedi . . . Just like me."

Nick, who had already turned back to the game, looked at the female bunny standing in front of him with wide eyes. Finally, he understood what she played for a game and how severe the situation was.

Every other participant at the table and the host turned to him. Nick already knew that whatever followed, would be nothing good for him. Yurt looked at him particularly sinisterly and asked while pointing at a metal object hanging from Nick's belt, "I've been wondering the whole time what this thing is on your belt? Call me an idiot but couldn't that be a lightsaber?"

"That old thing? Pfft, that's just a flashlight, nothing more and if you ask me such brash questions, then no more drinks for you after my victory, Yurt. I thought we were friends, buddy? What happened," Nick tried to smooth talk his way out of the situation, but he began to realize that his grand plan started to vanish into thin air.

"Okay, you had your fun, Slick. Now give me your lightsaber and come with me," Judy replied and held her paw out to him.

Everything went silent around them, while Nick exhaled profoundly and began to speak.

"Fine...you wanted it this way, but if you think I would come back to Coruscant without a fight, then you don't seem to know me, Carrots," Nick said, still smiling to Judy.

"First of all, yes you will and second, you're going to refrain from calling me Carrots," Judy replied annoyed and began walking towards him. Nick, however, had put his left paw without anyone else noticing under the table. Without warning, she drew back and felt a wave of the Force rushing through Nick. With it, he flicked the whole table around and let it fly through the air, turning multiple times around its own axis.

The audience, players and host began to stumble back in fear. It didn't take long before the first people began to run and chaos began to spread fast in the large casino hall.

Judy who stood just seconds ago on the edge of the table jumped back but stood after the landing directly in the zone where the massive wooden table would crash.

Time stopped for a moment in Nick's mind and he recognized how everyone around them was running for their life. Fun became a serious business. The tournament was over, one way or another and with it the chance to win the money. With a deep sigh, he let go of the last card he still held in his right paw.

'Guess there goes my chance of early retirement,' Nick thought and concentrated back on the purple-eyed doe and what she would do.

Before the wooden piece of furniture could even touch Judy, the sound of a familiar buzzing echoed through the air. All it needed was one clear-cut for the young doe to part the table in two pieces. The remaining pieces shattered some meters beside her to the ground.

Nick awaited to witness a truly angry bunny but what he saw was far from that. Judy was smiling at him as if she had fun. In her right paw, she held a glowing purple lightsaber, which was precisely adjusted to her size and now where he inspected her recognized it — eye color.

"EVERYONE OUT!" Judy shouted to the visitors around them and the guards which came to help her. Panic took finally over in the crowd and the sound around the two was rising until most of the visitors had left the large casino hall.

As if she had all the time in the galaxy, Judy took off her brown overcoat. Tossing it to her right and showing the cream-colored robe of a Jedi Knight, that Nick wore just some years ago by himself. It had no similarity to the dark brown leather outfit he wore now.

'Oh dammit, she really is a Jedi, and with my current luck she's also a good fighter,' Nick thought and prepared for a fight he never wanted.

Both of her paws were already clasped to her lightsaber, which she held up to her face. She was ready to attack, Nick could not just see this but also feel it in his whole body.

"Draw," Judy said with emphasis.

"See Carrots, is there no other way to come out of this casino? Do we really have to fight? I would say we both turn around and pretend that we have never met each other. What do you say?"

"Uh-uh, Slick. Not gonna happen, I have a mission to fulfill and by the way, weren't you the one who said that you won't go without a fight?"

Nick sighed deeply and thought, 'What for a stubborn bunny . . . Oh boy, this will become ugly. I know it.'

"Fine," Nick replied and stretched out his right paw. The lightsaber levitated in a quick movement from his hip to his arm. A green blade buzzed now steadily from his right side, pointing to the ground.

"But don't say I didn't warn you," Nick said. Again, he put on his unique smile.

"Don't worry, I'm a big girl. I won't cry," Judy replied and started running towards Nick. Her lightsaber buzzed to her movements, as her feet moved fast over the wooden floor. Nick prepared himself for a massive impact from below and went into a standard defense position, even so, the bunny in front of him seemed light, but he knew to underestimate an enemy was the fastest way to death.

Judy didn't attack directly, she jumped to her left onto one of the gambling tables in order to have a higher position as her canine opponent.

She strengthens her jump with the force to deal a direct blow at Nick from above. The fox, however, had a hard time blocking the attack but Judy didn't stop there. She balanced her whole weight on her lightsaber which clenched directly against the green blade of Nick's sword. With her left paw, Judy charged another force attack but this time it was no quick force push. This time, Judy was determined to finish the fight by increasing the pressure on the fox.

The attack was like a heavy blanket that was put over him and became heavier with every passing second. He couldn't escape by force and there was no way he could start a counter attack.

Breathing, standing, everything became harder and harder under this condition. His bones and muscles started to hurt, and he could feel his legs slowly giving in. Even the wooden floor began to crack from intense power that struck it, Nick understood that he had still underestimated the bunny. Her height and speed made her even more dangerous as an opponent than he had thought.

Not knowing what to do in this dangerous situation, he looked up to her and saw that she was doing the same thing. Their eyes met and it didn't take long for the fox to lose himself in her eyes. He couldn't say what it was that he saw there but he felt without a doubt that his heart skipped a beat.

"Give up!" Judy said through her clenched teeth and Nick snapped back into reality. He decided to do what he could do best in such situations and that was to improvise.

"Okay, I surrender, Carrots," Nick said and looked with a smirk in the dazzled face of the bunny above him. The confusion in Judy's face quickly gave way to another smile. It was a victorious one. With ease, she used the two lightsabers as a stepstone to jump above Nick and directly in his back. In that position, she could end this fight quickly.

But this time it was on her to underestimate the sly fox. While she was still half a meter above the ground, Judy noticed that he was charging an attack against her. She was too slow to dodge it, so she prepared for the impact and the resulting damage.

"Dumb bunny," Nick said, grinning like a little kid who had just won a card game against his friends. The attack threw the light bunny through a large part of the hall and towards the bar. She had just enough time to block the most substantial impact with her crossed arms.

Nick who saw what happened regretted his move instantly and watched with widened eyes, how the little bunny hit the bar. Judy hit the bar and the result was an explosion of glass, liquor, and other exotic fluids, which spread now over the counter and the nearby gambling tables. Everything that was seconds ago a valuable collection of bottled booze from all over the galaxy, was now nothing more than a rain of glass and alcohol.

'From where came this explosion? Nevermind...there are other things important now. Dammit! I wanted to make her unable to fight, not unable to live,' Nick thought. In a blind panic, the fox ran to the shattered bar with the destroyed counter. Shiny glass particles and liquids reflected the light in every direction.

'Oh boy, what a mess . . . I hope the bunny is okay...'

' . . . Why do you care so much for her? She is just a bunny, you know her for maybe 15 minutes, and in ten of them we tried to kill each other. . . Okay, we are Jedi, so for us, this was more like...advanced talking . . . ,'

"Hey Carrots, I'm truly sorry . . . That's not what I wanted to do. I definitely didn't want to hurt you...Carrots?"

With light feet, Nick stepped over the puddles of liquor and glass. He tried to avoid the puddles at all costs because he knew that some heavy stuff was in some of those bottles. Stuff that could kill you if you took a deep breath. Right now, his mind was just concentrated on the little bunny which should lay somewhere between the mess he had created.

Nick jumped on the counter of the bar and took the first look down. Even more shards and liquid swam around behind the counter. It looked like a flood that had devastated a valley after heavy rain. Nick couldn't see clearly through this devastation of splitter and fluids.

"Carrots? Seriously Carrots . . . I'm sorry," Nick began to speak until a massive shock wave hit him and sent him this time flying through the room. While he was in mid-air, he suddenly understood what the explosion was, which he saw before.

'She fooled me too! She cushioned her own impact with a counter push. Sneaky little bunny! Not that I dislike such behavior.'

Unlike Judy, Nick had no more time to cushion his fall, and so he slammed heavy on the wooden floor right between the gaming table where he had played and won just half an hour ago and which Judy had cut precisely in two halves. Moaning and cursing, Nick laid on his hurting back and tried to control his pain.

Steady but not too fast, Judy walked with half-closed eyes over to the fox. She was angry and not even her long and hard training could keep her emotions at bay. With the buzzing purple lightsaber still in her right paw, Judy stepped with her left foot on Nick's chest. The fox escaped a huffing sound. Trying to raise his head, Nick stopped immediately after he felt the heat of the lightsaber in front of his muzzle. This was definitely too close for his own taste, and he decided that it would be best to keep those last inches between himself and the hot plasma.

"Stay down and don't move! You dumb fox ruined my robe, and now I smell like a distillery for every imaginable liquor in this galaxy," Judy shouted at him.

"Hey, Carrots. I told you I'm sorry . . . And by the way, has anyone ever told you that you're cute when you're trying to look serious?"

"Shut up . . . Dumb fox," Judy replied and turned her head away from him, but Nick could see that her inner ears took on a light rose-like color.

'You're also not as tough as you act, Carrots. Why does her blushing make me smile? You're getting old Wilde, that's probably the problem here . . . Maybe,' Nick thought and watched her from his position on the ground. She had just beaten him in a fight but he didn't fear here in any way. In fact, he even felt pretty calm, now where her lightsaber was deactivated.

The little communication device on Nick's belt activated itself, and both could hear the rough and deep voice of Nick's companion.

"Hey, Nick! Wat da hell ya doing up there? The entire military of the Wheel is on their feet and after us! They got our ship and now they're searching for us, man! What do we do now?"

With a sardonic grin, Nick looked up to Judy and waited for a decision.

"You heard him, Carrots. What are we doing now?"

The fight was over and Judy deactivated her lightsaber, put it back and tried to take the communication device from Nick's belt. It was complicated attached to it and Judy needed some time to get it off, enough time for the fox to crack another joke.

"Well Carrots, I didn't know we were already that close," Nick said with a dirty grin. It took Judy a moment to realize in which position she bowed over Nick. With glowing ears, Judy finally pulled the device from his belt and turned away.

"Jerk," was all she replied and activated the device to talk back, "Judy Hopps speaking, come in."

"What the hell . . . NICKY! If this whole trouble is because of a new girlfriend, I will bite your face off!" The deep voice said over the intercom. Right then, Judy's ears would have put even Nick's red fur to shame.

"NOBODY is here anybody's girlfriend! Now listen, if you want to make it alive out of this space station!" Judy shouted in the little metal box, her ears glowed like burning coals.

A burst of roaring laughter followed Judy's last comment. She looked baffled at Nick who still laid on the ground and who just shrugged about the behavior of his companion.

"Haha . . . I don't know where you found your new pearl, Wilde! But you should keep her, she has fire!" The voice roared through the little device, followed by even more laughter that echoed through the empty casino. Judy held the device away from her head to not hurt her sensible ears.

"Do we have a deal," Judy asked, her ears were still glowing red.

"Yes ma'am," the deep voice replied with a chuckle, "And by the way, my name is Finnick."

"Good, Finnick. Now listen! Go to hangar 42, there you'll find a VCX-100, that's my ship, the Stargazer. I'll also send you a code to enter. Prepare yourself for leaving and wait for us. . . Again, the name of the ship is Stargazer and the name of the AI is Patty. Oh and I warn you, be kind to her!"

"She? What the . . . And who the hell is Patty?"

"My ship's AI, but you will understand it as soon as you enter. So just remember to be ready, okay?"

"Will do. And you keep an eye out for that fox, will ya? He still owes me a lot of money!"

Without even thinking, Judy put the device into her own pocket and directed her attention back to the fox on the ground. She stretched a paw out to him and smiled slightly. Nick took the offered paw and got back on his feet.

He found his lightsaber some meters away from him and levitated it back to him. For a short moment, he checked to see if it was still okay. There were no scratches or other damages.

"Something tells me, that you are not here to bring me back to the Council, Carrots."

"No and I never said I would, you just jumped to conclusions . . . In fact, the Council doesn't even know that you are still alive. What I want is to talk to you because of my mission, which is to find twelve missing scientists," Judy explained and already saw the confusion on his face.

"I don't see where I fit into this story?"

"Our client accused you, for kidnapping them," Judy began, but Nick interrupted her abrupt, "What? Not possible, I was the last four weeks in this stupid casino. How? But more importantly who?"

Nick began to gesture like crazy or at least he did so until Judy took his paws in hers. Confused, the fox looked at the doe and did not understand what she was doing.

"I know, okay? I believe you, that's why I'm here. Something is wrong, and I have a bad feeling this could be a trap," Judy said and let go of his paws. Nick smiled and replied, "You're pretty emotional for a Jedi, Carrots."

A smile appeared on Judy's face when she looked up to the fox. "My Mum always called this trait of mine 'caring' but . . ."

The breaking of glass disturbed the conversation between the two, and both felt a great threat moving towards them. Without warning, all the lights in the hall went out. Whatever the danger was, it was only a few meters away from them, well hidden in the darkness.

"Surrender," a cold voice said right in front of them.

Nick looked down at Judy, and she looked back at him still with the same smile, there was just the light from emergency lamps but it was enough to see it. He didn't know her but had a good guess that she was thinking the same.

"Sorry, buddy, I already lost once today. Once more would be even more embarrassing in front of this Lady here," Nick replied.

"Very well, I see you've made your decision," the enemy in the darkness said. One enemy but two glowing red lightsabers, which pointed to the ground, appeared in the dark. The mysterious stranger was ready to fight.

"Damn...and I had such a good feeling about this day," Nick said.

"Oh come on, it can only become better from here on, Slick," Judy replied with a smile.

"I hope you are right, Carrots."

Both Jedi drew their weapons and prepared to fight. Four lightsabers, one purple, one green and two in crimson red glowed in the dark hall.


	2. (N)ever Trust A Fox

**Chapter 2 - (N)ever Trust A Fox**

* * *

!FYI! The events in this story are taking place approximately one year before the events of the Phantom Menace !FYI!

Location: The Wheel - Besh Gorgon System

* * *

Nick was slowly bored about the fact that the dark being, which stood maybe twenty meters away from them, played the waiting game. Their enemy had positioned himself between two large marble columns, of which dozens stood here in the gambling hall to make it look even more expensive. Another minute passed, but just like their enemy, Nick didn't dare to move or even attack their foe. A quick glance at the bunny beside him showed that Judy seemed to become nervous about the long waiting time. She held her lightsaber in both paws but switched every twenty seconds her position.

"You know, Carrots, the last time I had a Sith in front of me I had to fight her with my lightsaber. Did something changed while I was gone and we try to stare them down now?" Nick teased her.

"Oh, shut up, fox. I don't want to make the first move," Judy replied angered.

"Oh, I can understand that but…," Nick said and turned with a grin towards her, "...Ohhhh, you've never fought against a Sith before... You're afraid. Am I right?"

"That... That's not it, I never fought against a dual wielder...and my eyesight is still blurry because of all that alcohol you threw me in," Judy replied and saw that Nick lowered his green lightsaber and turned towards her.

"Wait...Oh, you mean back then when you attacked me because you couldn't wait until I finished the game?"

"Obviously, Mr. Wilde, there wasn't enough time until the attack would happen."

"Of course, Miss Hopps, but there was enough time for a little sparring fight…," Nick replied and turned his gaze back to the enemy in front of them. Judy, who gritted already her teeth about the childish behavior of the fox, wanted to let it slide but couldn't find the calm to do so.

"If you would've talked to me, then we would've been already out of here!"

"Maybe... but I know 500 million reasons to finish this tournament. So much republican credits...Finnick kills me when he finds out that there will be no prize money at all. Tse, not even a wooden spoon for our hard work," Nick said in a disappointed tone, that Judy just glared at him.

"Hard work? You gambled here in this casino and did presumably so many other dishonorable things, but you're a Jedi! You swore a vow to the republic, the council, your fellow Jedi and every living creature that is in need of help! You vowed to serve, protect and fight for what is right, Mister!"

Judy couldn't see the fox clearly in the darkness, but she saw his white and sharp teeth reflecting the light of the stars and what was left of the lights of the casino. He was grinning but when he began to talk there was just malice and contempt in his voice.

"So many vows...they make you swear and swear. Protect the weak, obey the council, honor your master...But what if the council fights against the innocent or your master wants you to slaughter soldiers of the republic? It's... it's too much… but you...you're not long enough a Jedi Knight to see."

Judy replied and was confused over his statements, "To see what?"

"To see that at one point in your life, you'll forsake one vow or the other. No matter what you do...you'll fail, and you'll break your own rules. Honor, justice, control, abstinence or . . . chastity," Nick stopped for a moment and Judy saw how the eyes of the fox gave her body a closer look before he continued to talk, "...those are nice words the council has taught us to sing, but in the end, they're just words. They have no longer any meaning for me."

"How can you say something like this," Judy replied with wide eyes, but the distorted voice from his enemy in the dark stopped any further discussion. Judy was sure that there was something in the past of the fox that wasn't in the archives of the Jedi Council, that would explain why he took this path. Now, where she was thinking about it there was also not that much of information about him in the archives.

"Are you two done flirting with each other ?"

"Flirting? What do you mean with that," Judy shouted back in annoyance and tried her best to hide a blush until she remembered that they were almost in complete darkness. In contrast to Judy began Nick almost to have a normal conversation.

"Sorry, we're done...You see, I would've invited her to my ship for a night full of passion and ruffled fur with the winner. Maybe, I would even fly with her around some planets of the Republic to show her what life has to offer…," Nick said but saw after a short glance Judy's half-closed eyes and concentrated back at the enemy, "...but enough about me and my destroyed dreams about a night with this gorgeous bunny and maybe a space station of my own somewhere in the outer rim."

With his last words, Nick pointed his lightsaber towards the floor, as if he didn't want to attack. From the owner of the still red glowing lightsabers came no answer. He waited like before in the darkness.

Judy tried to estimate his heights from the length of his lightsaber.

"He's slightly taller than me but not as tall as you, Nick. And he's wearing a strange mask," Judy said. He wore indeed some kind of mask, which was formed like a skull with a long torn nose. There was no mouth, just the empty sockets, where eyes should be. His whole presence emitted an eerie feeling.

When Nick turned towards Judy, he began to whisper in a low voice.

"Okay, listen. I don't have a good feeling about this guy. I think he has some aces up his sleeve, so stay behind me and act as a support. Strike whenever you see a good chance to..," Nick said, but Judy interrupted him, "...I was the best fighter in my class, so don't worry, I know how to fight. Dual wielder or not...we have to make a move to escape this damn space station. besides I have even beat you in less than ten minutes."

This was all the gray bunny said before she started to run towards their enemy, her lightsaber behind her back. And Nick knew she was ready to strike the first blow and to lose.

"This bunny will definitely be the death of me...how can someone be so stubborn and so arrogant at once," Nick said to himself and started, nonetheless, to run after her.

Without any signs of fear, Judy began to recklessly strike her first blows against the unknown enemy. But no matter where she tried to hit, a red lightsaber was already there to block her attack. Left, right, down or above, every strike met his counterpart and made just the noise of clashing plasma against plasma. There was no opening for an attack but what made Judy nervous was the fact that her enemy didn't even fall back - Not even an inch.

'What if I lose?'

Judy couldn't say where the thought was coming from nor could she say what it was. A feeling? A thought? Some more blows and she began to hear a whisper in the back of her head.

'Retreat, or you'll die.'

With all her will she tried to fight against the thought and the enemy in front of her at the same time but it was a battle at two fronts and she felt that sooner or later she would lose. The metal mask under the hood emitted no sign of emotion or life. And he was still blocking every attack.

'You don't want to die, but he will kill you.'

'No, I will withstand.'

'You can't win...look you can't even touch him. Retreat!'

'But...but…,' Judy thought but it was too late, she stepped back from the fight.

"JUDY!"

The gray bunny withdrew for once, startled from the shout that came from behind her. She wasn't able to react in time when a paw grabbed her at her collar and threw her back. For a moment she just flew through the air but thanks to her excellent reflexes she landed on all four. When Judy looked up, she was ready to yell at the fox but her ears dropped and her eyes went wide when she realized what had happened.

Where Judy stood just seconds ago, were now two crossed red lightsabers blocked by a green one. Nick tried his best to hold the enemy back.

'The Sith would've pierced right through me if Nick wouldn't have saved me. I . . . I would be dead,' Judy thought and for the first time in her life, rolled wave after wave of fear through her whole body. Until now, all her fights were against other Jedi or sparring partner who had no intention to kill her, but this was still different. She had never before felt such a kind of shock, that made her tremble like a little child in fear.

"You dumb bunny! Rule number one when you fight a dual wielder. Never draw your lightsaber when you have no idea how to beat him!" Nick shouted back to her but continued quickly with his next advice, "Rule number two, when the enemy has two lightsabers, then face him with two lightsabers!"

Her mouth felt heavy and the words didn't want to come out. She needed time to gain back control over her body.

"But...but that's two against one. Also...I can't...I," Judy tried to answer but in the end, the trembling was too strong and her paws and feet were shaking as if she was sick. In her current state, Judy wasn't even able to hold her lightsaber. With a silent thud, it dropped out of her paw. Nick took just a quick glance at her before he looked directly into the black metal mask of his enemy.

"Isn't she an honorable Jedi Knight? Even now she wants to play by the rules and that when you weren't fair to her at all," Nick said and the Sith tilted his head slightly to inspect the fox and his facial reaction better.

"You noticed it...How," the distorted voice asked, and all Nick did be to grin back at him.

"Let's just say, I used to know someone who used similar tricks. Carrots?" Nick shouted back at the trembling Judy.

"What...what do you mean with tricks?" Judy asked and directed her gaze at the fox.

"Oh good, you're still conscious, fluffbutt. A lot of Jedi would've given up their mental fight by now, but you seem to be tough. Carrots, we three have one thing in common we are force users. Most of us use the force to manipulate the physical world but…," Nick broke and made a little jump back to escape the hard grip of his enemy, "...He is different, he manipulates the emotions of his enemies or to be more precise, he uses the force to inflict fear even in the mightiest and bravest of warriors."

"H-how did you know?" Judy asked with wide eyes as she began to understand that she was lured into a trap.

"The moment he appeared...I told you something was odd about him. I bet you couldn't see him clearly in the darkness but so couldn't I. In contrast to you I'm a nocturnal mammal, I should've been able to see him, but even my eyes wouldn't have been able to do so. He manipulated our perception since the moment he appeared in front of us. Please, tell me what is your name Sith? I want to know who I have to curse, besides the bunny, that I lost 500 million credits today," Nick said and smiled right into the metal mask of his enemy.

The dark warrior in front of him was silent, and Nick guessed he tried to think about a new way to defeat him.

"My name is Darth Lepus, and I'm here to capture the two of you alive."

"Alive? Now that's a turn of events, but I have to refuse, Lepi. There are things in my life I want to do and places I want to see. And I have the feeling of being captured by a Sith will shorten my lifespan drastically," Nick said and raised his lightsaber, a look around showed him a half-destroyed interior, but there were still a lot of empty gaming tables which made in his eyes a good platform to have higher ground.

"I'm no apprentice...Just a Sith, that's all. But you... you're a strange Jedi. No honor, no discipline and not even under the influence of the council. Whatever...a job is a job and I can assure you that this one is nothing personal. Just a way to pay my debt," Darth Lepus prepared himself and changed into an attack position, his lightsabers crossed behind his back. Both fighters backed up to have some distance between them and to have enough time to counter a surprise attack of their opponent.

"Okay to make things clear and to disappoint you right away, I am definitely no Jedi, and I'm especially no Knight… but I can return the kind words because I never met a Sith who was so reluctant to kill someone. You could've killed the bunny easily, but you didn't. Why? Most of you burn to kill someone," Nick said and raised his sword.

"I told you, this is just a mission I have to fulfill...nothing more," Darth Lepus said. Nick estimated that the height and speed of this Sith could be a real problem for him, just like Judy was before.

"Fine...Whatever. Listen, I get tired of this conversation and still have things to do, so let us end this and start the dance," Nick said and started to run with his raised lightsaber towards the enemy. Shortly before he would clash against the Sith, he took his lightsaber to the left and used with his right paw the force to throw the cards and chips which laid on a nearby gambling table towards the Sith. A cloud of hundreds and hundreds of cards, gambling chips, and other items flew through the air and took the Sith his vision.

Lepus was trained to avoid any physical contact during his fights because of his small body. He tried to dodge the cloud of small objects, no matter how light they were. As quick as the Sith could, he closed his lightsabers and rolled to his right, just to find a prepared fox right in front of him. Nick, who awaited such behavior was ready to finish the fight as fast as he could by pushing his lightsaber in Lepus direction, aiming for his chest.

In time, Lepus could just reflect the stab of the fox with his left lightsaber. It was a desperate move and executed hastily. Nick's lightsaber was slightly deflected but still pierced through some inches of Lepus' shoulder.

There was no scream of pain or any other reaction to the wound, but there were sparks flying from the fox's lightsaber, where he pierced through his enemy's chest. The attack was over for Nick and he jumped back on a nearby table. Lepus, on the other hand, wasn't done yet. He got back to his feet and vanished with stopped lightsaber behind a nearby gambling table.

Nick, who held his lightsaber still in both of his paws was prepared for any surprise attack. He observed his surroundings but couldn't see any sign of his enemy. The odd feeling from before seemed to disappear, and his vision was as good as ever.

'He'll need his power for something else than influencing me...but what,' Nick thought and turned his gaze back to Judy. The gray doe was still on her knees and fought against the effects of the force-induced panic attack, 'As long as she's consciousness, everything is fine.'

Nick knew he was dealing with an experienced enemy and he needed to focus all his wits and strength on the task to keep them both alive.

"Not bad Lepus but you see...I have the high ground. So, an advantage for me. But! You definitely know what you do...And I never thought that I would've someone as my enemy who's also cybernetically enhanced, which makes you even more dangerous," Nick said and turned himself around to look out for his foe. Even up there on the gambling table, he couldn't see any movement from the darkness below him. If Nick would bet on the injuries he had inflicted on Lepus, he would definitely say that his enemy couldn't use his left arm any longer. Maybe, he had just hit metal, but there were for sure some important parts he had damaged.

From the depth of the hall sounded Lepus's voice and no matter how hard he tried, Nick couldn't locate where it was coming from, "You fight with some dirty tricks, fox."

Grinning, Nick tried to keep him as long as he could in the conversation, "Of course I do! Don't tell me you have no idea why we foxes are red? Come on, guess!"

"Your predatory lust for blood?"

"Ohohoh, not bad but no."

"Tell me," The last words came from behind him, and they were closer than the ones before. Nick knew the Sith was coming for him.

"Foxes are red, my friend because we're made by the devil," Nick explained and waited for another sound.

"All of you? Even the white, black and golden ones?" Lepus asked and sounded almost as amused as Nick felt during this little conversation. The fox replied instantly with a smirk, "Well, what remains of the foxes out there in the galaxy...you should never trust any of them. They try to seduce you with their warm and fluffy fur and stab you in the back as soon as they get the chance to do so. We red ones...we're at least honest enough to show you what awaits you."

"And what awaits me?"

Nick replied grinning, "Treason."

A shadow emerged behind Nick from the darkness, he had a red lightsaber in his right paw and was ready to strike. In a quick turn, Nick blocked the attack and replied instantly with several blows from different sides but it was the same problem as with Judy, he was too slow and couldn't overcome his defensive, even with just one working arm.

The last strike came from above, and when Nick blocked this one as well, Lepus jumped backward and disappeared back into the darkness of the casino furniture, where he extinguished his lightsaber.

'Damned...This will not work,' Nick thought and cursed himself before he again had to defend against another strike from his opponent. Attack, disappear, wait. That was Lepus plan to attack so far. If it went on like this, there would be no winner at all and as it seemed the Sith had similar thoughts.

"This will not do," Lepus said from the dark, "I guess for once, I should try to be as tricky as you are and change my perspective."

'Change his perspective? What does he. . . Judy!' Nick understood maybe too late but rushed immediately towards the still shaking bunny. A short jump from the table and he was now on the same ground as Lepus. Like a maniac, Nick ran through the rows of gambling tables. When he took a glance to the right, he saw Lepus ran faster than he could towards the gray doe. His lightsaber was already drawn, and Nick could feel that he was ready to strike a blow. 'Maybe his words about catching them alive was just a lie.'

'Why am I doing this? Let him have her, and everything is fine. I escape, and this whole mess is over. Why? Why do I want to save her?' Nick didn't know why but he kept on running.

Simultaneously, Nick and Darth Lepus ended up in front of Judy, but the enemy was between her and the red fox. To Nick's astonishment was Lepus looking at him and not Judy. Even the red lightsaber, which was until this moment in his left paw was gone, but Nick saw that lightning gathered now in it together with an extremely high concentration of the force.

'He has one chance to take me down, and he risks everything for this one strike. And to higher his chance...,' Nick's mind was racing.

Some last words left his muzzle before a combination of lightning and force push hit Nick right in the front and send him flying straight through the hall.

"...You fooled me…"

"Exactly…," Lepus replied.

The lightning push was powerful enough to take everything that stood in its way with it. No matter if it were destroyed tables, chairs or other furniture, so much debris flew in the attack that the fox seemed to disappear. In the end, everything that was torn with the attack slammed into one of the massive marble columns. An unstoppable force meets an unmovable object.

Judy watched in horror how everything was collapsing above the fox. Metal, stone, and wood were creating a large pile of rubble underneath Nick was buried. A large cloud of dust rose from the side of the impact and spread out across the hall.

"N-no!" Judy wanted to shout but was only able to whisper, fear still paralyzed her body. She could feel how her mind tried to process the defeat of the fox but she couldn't. All that was in her at that moment was anger that turned fast into a rage she had never felt before and no one could help her. Here she was, unable to fight the enemy and not knowing how to handle her emotions because the only option she knew was to keep them down.

Judy watched the scenery in front of her unfold and tried even with her unsteady and shaking paws to grab for her own lightsaber, but without any success. Every time she tried to close her fist, it dropped out of her paw. Lepus was still concentrated on his enemy and paid her no attention, just the pile of rubble kept Lepus's interest up. Slowly, he walked towards it as if he awaited another attack from the fox. After he had finished half of the way, he bent down and grabbed for something that lay on the floor. Judy was sure that it was Nick's lightsaber the Sith picked up.

After a quick inspection of the object, he put it on his own belt and moved on. For the pile itself, he took more time to inspect it. He walked around and above it. No centimeter left uninspected. He did this until he was sure that his enemy was really dead. When he seemed satisfied, Lepus used a communication device on his helmet.

"Can you hear me?"

A short break after which Judy couldn't hear clearly who answered him. She couldn't pick up any words but the person on the other side of the line sounded worried, maybe even carrying but in no way commanding.

"No, no, everything is fine. Just some...smaller injuries. Please... you don't have to worry about me, it's nothing you couldn't fix… Yes, it seems that the red fox is dead. I thought he would dodge my last attack….. No. No more signs of him...I know, but at least we have her. Yes, I'll finish and come back…," a short break occurred where nobody said anything. Lepus spoke some last words into his device. And these words confused Judy more than anything else that he had said until now, "...I love you too."

Judy's mind was filled with questions, but there were too many to grasp any clear thought, 'Did...did he said 'I love you'? Who is this Sith?' Judy thought but was rather quickly drawn back to her own situation, 'Why is it so hard to control my limbs...and what is with Nick? Did he really tried to save me and… died? NO! I will not believe it until I saw his body with my own eyes.'

Judy was still defenseless, she couldn't control nor body but at least her mind became clearer. She had to do something, and this quick, Darth Lepus was coming back to her. But no matter what she tried, her feet or arms didn't want to obey any command. Even the use of the force was entirely out of the question. By now, Judy's mind was almost completely filled with anger about her situation and Nick's defeat. The fear from before was gone, but the shock still paralyzed her whole body. With pure willpower, she tried to fight the paralysis and grabbed for her lightsaber. She missed it by a few centimeters but decided immediately to give it another try.

"N-no! I will not give up!" Judy said through clenched teeth.

"It's over," Lepus said, and Judy felt how hot tears began to run down her cheeks. He was right, but she simply couldn't admit her own defeat or Nick's death, "You know… if you would've listened to Wilde, I would be the one who would lay on the ground while you could walk away. Do you have any last wish before we go back to the ship?"

"A-at least, sh-sh-show me your s-stupid face," Judy demanded in her desperation, and to her surprise, he did what she asked for. With index finger and thumb he pushed two buttons on his mask and slide the whole piece over his head, revealing to long ears in white with black stripes and a white-furred face with equally black stripes.

Judy simply couldn't believe that a hare was standing in front of her.

"You...Y-you…," Judy began but couldn't end her sentence. With a sad gaze, the Sith looked down at her and spoke in a voice as if he would regret what he did.

"Yes, I'm a hare and there's a high possibility, we two come from the same planet. But...something like this doesn't matter now. You lost, and I won, that's the important fact at the moment," The hare said and squatted down to help Judy get up, "Too bad that the fox is dead, I liked him somehow."

Judy pushed away his paw and clenched her own paws to fists, while streams of hot tears ran down her cheeks.

"You killed him!"

"Yes and I'm sorry. Believe me, this is nothing personal, just a job to repay a debt and it would've been better if he was still alive."

For a moment, Judy couldn't believe that a Sith apologized to her, but here she was. When she looked up to him, she saw a familiar face, emerging from the shadows behind him. For a moment, Judy thought her mind was playing a trick on her.

"How is that... possible?" Judy said and gasped.

It was Nick, his fur and cloth were partly messed up and dirty but all in all he seemed okay. He had his head directly beside the hare's ears and send a little wink down to Judy. But when he spoke were his words just meant for the hare.

"Hey Lupes, didn't I say that you should never trust a fox? You can't even trust us that we're really dead."

Ready to fight the red fox, the hare turned around and drew his lightsaber, but Nick was faster. He grabbed Lupes's left wrist and pointed with a blaster at the chest of the Sith. He didn't wait for a response and pulled the trigger two times.

Lupes, however, let go of his lightsaber and coughed blood. Confused, how all of this could change in this short amount of time, he looked at the fox but said nothing.

The Sith was mortally wounded and Nick was well aware of this. Without any regrets, he let go of his enemy. Hard and unforgiving, Lupes slammed to the ground. Even in his last seconds of consciousness, his gaze was concentrated on the fox. Without pity or any sign of regret, Nick kneeled down beside the dying enemy.

"I told you, I'm no Jedi, and I'm especially no Knight. I don't care about their rules or their honor. If I need a blaster to fight, I'll use it," Nick said as if he had to justify what he did and put the blaster back to its hidden place on his back.

To his big surprise, the hare smiled with his ice-blue eyes up to Nick and said in a heavy voice, "You foxes are all so different...but yet so similar, once you know what you want to protect."

Nick didn't know what to say and waited until his enemy drew his last breath, but he understood what the hare wanted to tell him.

"What did he mean?" Judy asked. Nick turned his gaze to her and said with a smile, "I have no idea, Carrots."

As soon as Lupes was gone, Nick began to search for his and Judy's lightsaber and put both on his belt. For a moment he kneeled down, turned the hare with his white fur and the black stripes on his back and closed the ice-blue eyes of his enemy.

"That's all I can do for ya...You fought more honorable than I did, that much I can give you," Nick said and turned to Judy. Without asking, the fox picked up the doe and carried her carefully in his arms. Blushing, she said to him, "Y-you don't have to do this."

"But I do it anyway. Why you may ask? Because the only thing I know is that a Sith Lord is dead and his minions and lover will come for his corpse and then for us. You heard him, right?"

"Yes...I never heard that a Sith could love someone. The Council taught us that the only thing a Sith could truly love is himself," Judy said and thought about their enemy. He was unusual, so much was clear and Judy wanted nothing more than to revive and ask him so many questions. Why did he apologize? What was his aim? Who was the person he loved?

"Yeah, that's one of the things they told us. Jedi or Sith, this determines just from where we draw our power. The rest is up to the individual...and yes a lot of Sith become evil but not all of them. He can love, hate, fight and protect like anyone else and just because your a Jedi doesn't mean you're doing the right thing," Nick answered and just for a second Judy wanted to reply but decided to keep her question for herself.

She felt safe in Nick's arms, and she knew, without him, she would be dead or captured by now. But there was another question that needed to be asked.

"How could you survive that last attack?"

Nick exhaled deeply before he answered, "I pushed myself out of the blast with the help of the force, and the rest was simply hiding. No big mystery, you see?"

"No...no that wasn't simply hiding. Your whole presence was gone. As if you weren't there...as if you were...dead," Judy said and looked up to him but what she saw was a fox fighting with himself until the moment came that he lost, "Please Nick, tell me."

"I... I can conceal my presence. Like Lepus used the force to inject fear in the heart of his enemies, I can use the force to hide in front of other living beings. It's no big talent, but it saved my scruffy tail a lot of times," Nick walked a while with her in his arms through the Halls of the casino, searching for a specific exit, he knew and which would led away from this battlefield.

When they entered an empty floor, Nick began again to speak, "Listen, Judy, I'm no fighter, no lightsaber master, no master of the force or anything else. I'm just a coward who did what he had to do to survive. That's all."

Judy remained silent and thought about his words. They left the passage behind them and walked over a long metal bridge from one section of the space station to the next. From here, Judy could see the stars shining brightly down on them. She needed not long to see that Nick looked incredibly tired. Like someone who was searching for something but couldn't let himself rest.

"Can I...can I ask you one last question?" A smile emerged from his muzzle before he replied, "Sure, Fluff. Ask."

"Why do you still have your lightsaber, if you say you're no longer a Jedi?"

Nick continued to smile and answered in a calm voice, "It's mine. I made it, and I connect with it a lot of memories. Not all of them are good, but not all of them are bad. It made me to what I am now, and it reminds me of the things I learned throughout my entire life. Giving up on my lightsaber would mean giving up my past, and that would mean giving up a part of myself. See, Carrots... If I start to throw away parts of my past that I don't like, where should I end? At one point, nothing would remain of me. This thing defines what I was and reminds me of what I never want to be anymore."

Somehow, deep inside of her, Judy understood what Nick wanted to tell her. She felt much better by now and was sure she could walk on her own, but she liked it here in his arm. For once, someone was there for her and not the other way around. Almost instinctively, Judy snuggled herself deeper into Nick's arms and inhaled his scent. From this moment onward, she knew that she liked him.

"Nick?"

"Yes, Carrots?"

"Thank you...For saving my life and even if you said I shouldn't trust a fox. I think I'll make an exception with you."

Amazed and a little bit embarrassed, Nick replied, "You're welcome fluff and . . . Thank you."

* * *

"She can't just let him die, Sally! I can't accept this...please try again to call her," a vixen with almost golden fur and the name Skye yelled at her android. She was wearing a black overall with dark blue elements. Around her neck was a metal collar that was blinking at one point with a green light. She was nervous and slowly going crazy in her laboratory on board of the Phobos, a massive ship which laid in the docking station number thirteen of the Wheel. She had enough of the waiting and walked through her laboratory and collected everything she could need for first aid and put it into a big black suitcase.

"Sally, try it again! I know she's there and just refuses to answer my calls," The vixen said to the spherical droid who normally floated behind her through the air. Most of the time the black ball showed on a small round display on her front two minimalistic eyes and a mouth to show her state of mind and came in the shape of an emoticon. After a minute of trying to establish the call, Sally replied just with a disappointing sound and equally frustrating face on her display.

Angered about her ignored calls, the vixen threw one of her tools through the laboratory, where it smashed on the other side of the room against a wall and almost broke some monitors.

"NO! No, no, no! She has to hear me out! She has to! She…," The vixen said angered and was supported by Sally who nodded hysterically in mid-air behind her back. Both of them went silent as soon as she saw that someone stood in the door.

"Ch-Charon...how c-can I help you?"

The vixen made no secret out of the fact that she was afraid of the vast Kaminoan, who had in comparison to his species, who were almost white, black skin and white eyes. Jack had told her once that the dark side had corrupted him so much that his entire appearance had changed, but then again she had to think of Jack and his once complete white fur which was by now taunted by black stripes. He never spoke about it but she knew where they were coming from and it worried her with every day a little bit more.

Charon wore as always the grey robe of his people and had his arms crossed behind his back. When the tall alien entered her laboratory, Skye made a step back and bumped into the edge of a table, on which her emergency bag waited to be completed. Her paws clenched into the surface of the table and she could feel how her claws scratched over the metal.

"I was told you have tried to reach Lord Ovis?"

"Y-yes...I wanted to reach her...I need permission to find Jack. M-maybe I can still save him! Anyhow, I need to try," Skye said in a meek voice but found some courage during her conversation. When Charon didn't answer, Skye turned around and continued to pack the rest of the needed tools into her emergency bag.

Without even looking at him, she took the heavy bag with two paws and walked towards the exit.

"Come, Sally," Skye ordered the droid, who followed her but the machine never took his gaze from the Kaminoan. When both tried to leave the laboratory the door didn't open. She knew instantly that Charon was blocking it with the force.

"Where do you think, you're going, Ms. Winters?" Charon asked without moving or turning his gaze to her.

"I told you where I'll go, and there's nothing that will stop me from doing so. I will save him," Skye said, her yellow eyes locked on the door in front of her. Determined to save the hare who meant so much to her. She knew what she had to do and this wasn't the first time that something like this happened either.

"Do you really think we would let our best scientist for biology, cybernetics, and the force, walk alone through an infamous space station full of gamblers, drunks and now even with two enemy Jedi on the run? You're smarter than this, Ms. Winters and besides, Lepus is dead," Charon said and smiled to her.

"We can't be sure! I will…," Skye began but was suddenly yanked up into mid-air and back into the middle of the room. It felt as if somebody would hold her up with one arm. Sally panicked beside her and began to react like a loyal dog would by attacking Charon. But the droid was never meant to be a weapon or any kind of threat, and that's why her attempts of bumping into the Kaminoan, was more an annoyance for him than anything else. With ease, Charon positioned him in mid-air beside Skye.

"You will do as I say and nothing else, do you understand me?"

"No!" Skye replied reluctantly and growled down at the alien. She could see how Charon lowered his eyelids and looked dangerously up to her.

"No," Charon asked and continued, "I think you don't understand your place here, Ms. Winters."

"Believe me, I do… Lord Ovis needs me for Project Mayhem, and the equation is easy, without Jack I'm out. When I'm out, no project Mayhem. So *ugh*… No Jack, no project Mayhem, easy as that...and I swear you I'll tell Lord Ovis that this was your fault," Skye tried her best to sound convincing but internal she was panicking and afraid for Jack. She knew better than anyone else, that the time she had to save him was limited.

Grunting, Charon let go of the vixen. The fall was short and followed by a hard landing, which Skye repaid with a dark glare at the self-proclaimed Sith. The vixen showed no signs of pain. She didn't want to give Charon this satisfaction. As soon as she was able to float around her master, checking if everything was okay with her. When the droid had checked that everything was fine, it returned to Skye's side and remained behind her, locking his gaze again at the tall alien.

"Fine...I give you permission to search for him, but you will take four of my guards with you. No objections, vixen!"

The doors closed behind Charon the laboratory, what he left behind was a crying and coughing vixen, who sat devastated on the ground.

Skye wanted to stand up and walk on, she had to search for Jack, but for now, the only thing she could do was to sit here and cry about the situation she was in.

'Jack, please be okay. I will come for you and put you back together like I always did, but please fight. You know how much I need you,' Skye thought to herself. Her face changed back to one filled with determination instead of new tears. She wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her overall and stood up.

"Sally?"

The droid who was until now hovering around her with a sorrowful face awakened from her slumber and flew fast to her master.

"Come, we have to find Jack," Skye said, and a smile appeared on Sally's display flying as fast as she could over to the door, chirping and waiting in utter delight for the vixen. With an equally cheerful smile, Skye replied to the noises, "That's my girl! Mmh, who wants to find daddy?"

Another chirping came from Sally before Skye walked past her. With the droid behind her and the heavy bag in her paws, she paced as fast as she could to the exit of the ship, where already four guards waited for her. Skye knew just the leader of the small group, his name was Hortun Telic and a former human member of the Republican army, where he had the rank of a lieutenant, but here he was the leader of Charon's soldiers or mercenaries.

"Ms. Winters, Charon told me we're here to retrieve the corpse of Darth Lepus," Telic asked. The human was a soldier all his life and knew nothing else, emotions seem to be a foreign word for him. It made her angry how they talked about him.

"He's not dead! What you do, is to escort me to his last whereabouts. Do you understand this? As soon as I enter the hall you'll leave me alone with him."

"Sorry, Miss but we have strict orders what you're allowed to do and what not."

"I DON'T CARE! Bring me to him and do as I say!" It was enough for the young vixen, all she wanted was going to the mammal she loved and try her best to bring him back. She knew that with every wasted minute the chances to save him were lower and lower.

"Okay, Miss but this mission is on you. If anything happens, you're to blame," Telic said and nodded.

"Fine by me… But please, let us go," Skye replied, and she could feel how tired she was right now.

It took the group and Skye another twenty minutes until they reached the hall where the fights happened. Until now, no one of the group had spoken to her. They were almost like ghosts but Skye didn't care, she just felt that with every minute she came closer to him, she felt more and more uneasy.

The casino was still abandoned and would be until tomorrow. Charon had talked to the owner and Syke could already imagine that it had been a rather unpleasant conversation. A shiver ran down her spine and made the fur on her tail stand up when she just thought about it.

Always, when she went out on such a mission to find him, and his situation was unclear, she hoped that it would be the last time she had to do this. That it would be better from there on but it never happened. There was always a step-down. Jack was the only positive thing she had in her life and maybe even the only person who ever loved her unconditionally. For no money in the whole wide galaxy, she wanted someone else, all she wanted was her white hare with the black stripes.

'Is that really too much to wish for? A quiet life with him, like they had before? Before all this mess started?' Skye asked herself and sighed, before she turned to Telic, "Open the door for me and wait. If I shouldn't have returned in the next sixty minutes, then and just then you're allowed to enter."

"Yes, Miss."

Telic replied and opened with the other mercenaries the door. Quickly, Skye and Sally entered the quiet casino hall. For some seconds she stood just there and stared in the darkness of the hall until the heavy door closed with a loud noise.

Complete darkness was all around her, even the emergency lighting system was dead by now and if there was one thing that scared her as much as Charon, then it was the darkness. Even today and even as a fox, she couldn't sleep at night without a small light on. And yes, it was a childish and irrational fear, something she was well aware of as a scientist, but Jack had never complained about it or even made fun of her. Whenever she awoke at night because of a bad dream, he had taken her into his arms and consoled her. But now she had to be strong, and for the time until he was back on his feet she tried her best to ban the fear into the back of her mind. There was only one thought left, 'Jack needs me.'

"Sally?"

The droid blinked in the darkness and flew over to her, Sally's face looked curious, and she seemed ready to work.

"Search for Jack."

This command was one of the few the AI had prioritized higher than most others. The moment in which Sally heard this order, the black sphere began to scan the hall instantly. Skye, however, searched in her bag for a flashlight and turned in on. She examined the place with her limited view and hoped to see any moment Jack in his black suit. But there wasn't anything.

Skye could see a large pile of rubble but didn't know if this was Jack's doing or the fault of the other two Jedi. Some years ago, Jack had always a camera on to stream what happened to her in real-time, but this was too nerve-racking for her, and so they agreed that he would at least give her a quick call when the mission was done, or the danger had vanished. She couldn't understand what went wrong this time. He said he had killed one of the Jedi. Did he oversee him? Or made a mistake? No, that wasn't like him...Maybe he was tricked?

The vixen made a face when she saw all the gambling tables laying around together with poker chips, money, glasses and above all was this terrible stench of alcohol in the air. She always wanted to visit the Crimson Casino herself and thought it was such a fine establishment, but she was apparently wrong.

A loud alarm sounded from the other side of the room and Skye felt how her heart skipped a beat.

'Sally found him! Now go to him.'

New confidence rose in her but the heavy bag prevented her from moving any faster. Because of the bag, she needed another minute until she reached finally Sally, who floated excitedly about her finding and around the unconscious Jack.

Skye stopped in front of him and watched how he laid on the floor as if he was sleeping peacefully. Like the last times when she had found him, tears gathered in her eyes, but she didn't give in and tried to stand her ground.

Skye knelt down beside him and watched him for a moment. He made no sound and looked awfully peaceful with his closed eyes.

"Sally, light," The droid turned and activated two small but very bright lights beside her 'face.'

'Oh no, he even took off his mask...Skye! Concentrate! He needs you now.'

But what she found on his chest surprised her. She awaited cut off limbs or a pierced chest through a lightsaber, but this?

"Blaster...? I thought you were fighting Jedis, Jack," Skye said as if he was there and could reply to her.

She tried everything to detach the breastplate from his body, but the blaster shots seemed to have melted and fused with the metal underneath. Her only option was now to cut it off and try to fix the damage underneath. Without looking, she opened the heavy bag and search with her right paw for the small light cutter which was in fact just a miniature version of a lightsaber, Jack had once built it for her. It was highly effective but also as sharp and unforgiving as the real deal. Carefully and just centimeter for centimeter she worked herself forward on the plate.

It took her almost ten minutes until his bare chest laid open and once more struck grief the vixen when she looked on his for her well-known but worn-out body. Scars and missing fur were the least of his problems. Jack's entire right arm was gone together with his right shoulder, both were replaced by cybernetic ones. Those pieces went directly over into the chest which was in fact almost a complete replacement of his original thorax through a steel and carbon version, that protected most of his original organs. At least everything she could save.

Skye's paw stroked over the metal chest up to the point where the heaviest wound of all was located. Right there where Jack's heart should be was now just an energy cell that delivered the power for his artificial heart. Skye remembered just too well, that he took this wound upon himself to protect her from the damage of a grenade. He did this without thinking, and she knew he would do this again and at any time. That was her Jack.

'All the things he did for me, all the dangers. . . What else could I do than to love him with all I got,' Skye thought smiling and was kind of relieved that just the energy cell was destroyed through the blaster shots.

Without hesitation, she began with the replacement of the broken part. What even Jack didn't know was that every time when he was on the brink of death and Skye saved him, she added something to his cybernetic parts. By now he could survive things that others could never survive, like two shots from a blaster directly to the chest. Skye had added smaller backup batteries which supplied Jack's whole body for at least twenty-four hours with energy to prevent him from brain damage or organ failure. Right now, he was more in a comatose state than on the brink of real death.

The energy cell was replaced, and Skye saw how the normal function of his body returned. Jack's breathing was again going normal, his heartbeat was back, and his ears also reacted to sound. Smiling, Skye laid Jack's head on her thighs and began to caress his cheeks. From this moment on, she could just wait and hope that he was okay and soon be back on his own two feet.

"Come on, Jack. For six years we two are together like this. That's not how it ends," Skye said and began to hum a tune she had in mind and also often sang when she was working. It didn't take long before she began to sing.

...

I don't sing well, but I got a lot of heart

This world's a pirate, and I'm swimming with the sharks

And in the sunlight, I'm shaking like it's dark

What could I say

I was born to be this way

And what could I say

I'm just living for today

…

A moan came from the hare lying on her thighs, and Skye stopped her singing at once.

"That's not true...your voice is beautiful," Jack said and opened slowly his ice-blue eyes which met her yellow ones instantly. Both couldn't hide the smile of joy when they both looked at each other.

"How are you feeling, Jack," Skye asked, happy but still worried about him.

"You know, I always feel perfect when the first thing I see is my personal sky…," Jack said, but he could see how her face turned to a worried one, "Jack, please…"

"I'm sorry. I feel...okay so far. My right arm is broken, but I guess you will repair this in no time," Jack replied and observed how his vixen reacted. A deep exhale followed the most beautiful smile he could imagine and for which he could and had killed.

For a while, Skye was just looking at him and all his scars and of course his black stripes. When she first saw him bare in front of her, he was covered in pure white fur. Sometimes, Skye asked herself if she was the cause and the fault for all his misery and his drift to the dark side. She didn't care how he looked, she would love him even if his complete fur would turn black, but she knew where his stripes were coming from and what caused them. She hated it that he used the dark side but he did this to protect her, and she knew he would never stop.

'Not until…,' Skye shook her head and exhaled deeply.

Jack seemed to notice the change of mood and reached up to her with his left paw. At first, he just caressed her cheek, but it didn't take long until she closed her yellow eyes and began to enjoy his touch.

"One of the enemy Jedi was a fox. A red one. He was also the one who shot me...but before that, he had said something to me," Skye who still enjoyed Jack's treatment had begun to purr softly, "So...did he. Ahhh, Jack. You know that I can't concentrate when you're doing this."

"I know," Jack replied smiling and took his paw down to get the full attention of his vixen again.

"He said, that I should never trust a fox because you're all made by the devil and sooner or later you would stab me in the back," Jack said and looked up. Skye laughed and replied still giggling, "Well, maybe I will do this one day my little hare."

Skye just fooled around and bowed down to him, rubbing her black nose against his. But Jack was severe when he replied, "I would always trust you, even when you do something like this to me...my life is yours. Forever."

Skye was speechless, even so, it wasn't the first time he had said something like this to her, but it was never so direct or so earnest. She knew what he felt for her.

"I love you," Jack said and hadn't to wait long for Skye's reply, "And I love you."

The golden vixen bowed again down to the hare, but this time, she placed a kiss on his muzzle. Slowly, she raised her head and stood up from her kneeling position,

"Come, I help you up and back at the ship, I make a long check of your whole body," Skye said grinning and handed the hare a paw.

"Is that a promise Ms. ... ," Jack replied, but as soon as he got up to his feet, everything in his view started to spin and became blurry. He went back to his knees and coughed blood. A device on Skye's arm began to make an emergency sound. Even Sally flew nervously around Jack and checked his status.

"Jack? Jack!" Skye went instantly to him, the white fur around his muzzle darkened with blood. The hare was back on his knees and his left paw, while his broken right arm dangled to the ground.

"No! No, no, no... Your left lung collapsed...this must be from the impact of the blaster shots. While you laid on the floor, everything was fine but now...," Skye said and activated her communication device, "Telic! I need help, immediately. Jack was back on his feet, but his left lung collapsed we need transportation back to the ship. And that now!"

"Telic here. We're on our way, Miss Winters." The mercenary replied.

"Jack, did you hear that...they're coming…," Skye said, but her voice became quieter and sounded as if she was far away.

Jack's sight became smaller and smaller until everything around him went dark. The last things he recognized was Skye, who kneeled beside him and begged him to stay with her and Sally who flew in panic around the two of them and made beeping noises as if she would die herself. In the end, there were just his own thoughts, and they were about his vixen.

'Please let me stay...I have to protect her.'

* * *

When Jack opened his eyes again, he laid in his own bed back on board of the Phobos where he shared a cabin with his vixen. But right now he had to order his thoughts. How did he arrive here? What had happened? But most importantly, where was Skye?

To his luck, he could answer the last and most crucial question instantly. The golden vixen laid, like every night, with her head on Jack's chest and seemed to be in a deep sleep. Her left arm was around him and their legs entangled to a mess of white and gold. On top of that, and until today Jack didn't know if she did this intentionally or not, Skye covered both of them with her tail. With that, the blanket wasn't needed, but when Jack raised it, he saw what he already expected, a naked vixen that made him smile for a moment until his gaze went up to the collar she wore. Jack's smile vanished instantly when this thought crossed his mind. For two years, this thing was around her neck, but he knew that every attempt to remove it would instantly kill her.

Before that, they had everything they ever wanted. Their own ship, ideas and the will to see as much as possible of the galaxy. But they were at the wrong time, in the wrong place and met the wrong enemy. And now? Now, Jack and Skye had to pay off a five-year debt for Lord Ovis, and until then, he and Skye were nothing more than the Sith Lords' property. He had to fight, and Skye had to work on a secret project which had the obscure name Mayhem.

For some seconds, Jack just listened to Skye and how she was breathing in her sleep. When he raised his right cybernetic arm, he recognized that this one was different from before. It was brand new and lighter than the old one.

'She already healed me, changed the arm and repaired everything. How long was I asleep? Or better how long was she awake?'

Carefully, Jack tried to escape the greedy grasp of his vixen, if this would be a typical day he would gladly stay in bed with her but this day wasn't typical. He had lost to someone.

Skye didn't like it to be left alone in bed and looked almost as if she was pouting in her sleep when Jack crawled from under her to the edge of their bed. Standing beside it, he saw on a nearby chair his trousers which he put on for once. We wanted to walk over to the command terminal and inform himself what happened in the time he was knocked out.

But when he walked with bare upper body past the large mirror, which was attached to the wall of their cabin, Jack stopped and looked for a while at his own image.

"You're a mess, Jack... It's a wonder that she can love you like this."

His real right arm was gone, as well as his right shoulder, most of his chest, his heart and some other organs. Everything replaced through cybernetic parts. Now came a ruptured lung to his list of failing body parts but as long as he could go on and protect her, everything was fine.

But what really concerned him were the black stripes he had developed over the years. Jack knew that the dark side was taunting him...changing him into someone or something else. But he couldn't see it directly, just in the way Skye sometimes looked at him. Her eyes were full of fear of him. That hurt him, more than any lightsaber could ever cut. The only one who should never have such feelings about him.

There were times when he lost his mind to the dark side. Times where anger and rage dominated his emotions. Times where no voice but hers could reach him. Jack feared the time when even this was no more possible. He feared the day she wouldn't come back to him to save him from the darkness. But most of all he feared the day where he could become her darkness.

Jack sighed heavily and took a last look at his black stripes before he heard the beeping noises of Sally who just realized that one of his owners was awake. Seemingly happy, the black droid flew around the hare. Jack had to chuckle about the silly thing but grabbed her with both paws when she became too loud.

"Psst. You wake her, Sally. We have to be quiet, alright?"

The Droid in his paws nodded and remained silent. At least for now. Sally returned to her most liked hobby, which seems to be floating through the air and watching everything in her surroundings. Right now, she was above Skye but not for long, and she flew on to one of the windows towards space. They were in hyperspace and probably following the two Jedi.

When he walked back to the bed, he discovered on Skye's night table a small tablet with her last recorded work. Jack thought that a quick glance couldn't hurt. He took it and sat on the edge of the bed. Skye instinctively turned around and wrapped her arms around the hare.

'Two hours for fixing my collapsed left lung, three hours for the replacing of the arm and fixing the damage on my chest.' He looked down at the sleeping vixen.

"Thank you, my dear lady, for piecing this broken and worn out body together," Jack said and pressed a kiss on her forehead. A smile flashed over her sleepy face before she replied in an equally sleepy voice.

"I would always try to piece you back together . . . It's fun... almost like a puzzle," Skye said and giggled about her own joke before she closed her eyes again.

When Jack drew the blanket over her shoulders, he could see through her fur dark blue spots on her collarbone, neck, and throat. He knew this kind of injuries very well, every force user would recognize them immediately, and he knew that he would never do her any harm. Never.

He knew only one other force user on this ship.

"Skye who did this?" Jack asked, his voice way darker than his normal one. The vixen needed a moment to understand what the hare wanted from her.

"Why did he hurt you?"

Wide awake, she was crawling up to a sitting position. Skye could already sense the anger boiling up in Jack, but she still tried her best to cover it up, but he already knew enough.

"Th-that's nothing...You know me, clumsy Skye, fell about her own two feet. Dumb, dumb, dumb…," But she felt that it didn't work and so she tried the last thing on her list and begged, "Please Jack...let it go and don't give in. Not for his sake but for yours," Skye said and grabbed his left paw.

For a moment, she thought he would stay. Especially when he began to caress her paw with his thumb. But he quickly turned around and levitated one of his lightsabers into his right paw. He could hear Skye behind him, how she stood up and tried to follow him but she wasn't as fast as he was.

"Jack! No, please! Let us talk about this," Jack could see, how she had the blanket clutched to her chest and how she desperately tried to locate her clothing. When he left the room, and the door closed. Jack used the force to break the lock and keep her in there.

'She's a goddamn genius, she doesn't need longer than five minutes to find a way out. I need to find this piece of shit,' Jack thought and hurried on.

Driven by blind rage, he walked straight through the nearby corridors, directly towards the bridge where he felt the person he was looking for. Some other crew members passed his way, but they either backed away from him or quietly stood still until he was gone.

When he entered the bridge, there was only Telic the mercenary and some crew members around and of course Charon, the captain of the Phobos. Standing in front of the long command table, typing various commands into it. He didn't look up but recognized the half-naked hare without a doubt.

"Ah, Darth Lepus. You returned from the dead and oh...what for a rare view you offer us," The Kaminoan said with a dirty smile on his face.

Jack didn't wait or wanted to talk about anything, he wanted answers. He jumped on the other end of the command table, staring at the tall black alien.

"What did you do to her?"

He looked finally up and met Jack's eyes directly.

"Me? I taught her some manners and explained to her where she stands in this order. But she didn't want to listen to me! And so she got maybe two or three little bruises."

"Two or three little bruises...," Jack repeated almost not audible for the people around them.

Without warning, Jack raised his right paw and tossed Charon back against the rear side of his captain seat. Charon wanted to counter the attack, but he was too slow, and Jack had him already captured with the force. Without warning, Jack raised the pressure against him. The Kaminoan screamed in pain, but the hare didn't stop.

"What did I told you when we were forced to work for Lord Ovis? Tell me! Back then, what did I said to you?"

The tall alien was trying to touch his throat, but Jack flung his arms down with the help of the force.

"That I . . . Arghhh. . . should never do anything that would hurt your vixen. Ahhh, stop it! That's madness!"

Jack didn't listen, he had heard already enough. With a fast movement of his paw, he threw Charon into multiple monitors to his left. Sparks and glass flew through the whole bridge, and Jack heard a scream from one of the crew members who stood behind him.

"She's mine, and I will not allow that you do anything to her! Do you understand me?"

Charon was screaming in pain, but none of his mercenaries came to help him, all of them stood in fear around and watched what happened to their captain. Jack, however, wanted to clear things once and for all.

The red lightsaber in his paw started to buzz, and he went over to the still screaming Kaminoan, his body until now sunken into the broken monitors. But Jack didn't stop here. He jumped beside Charon and stepped over his long throat, by now Charon had understood that this was no demonstration of pure power. Jack wanted to kill.

He thrust his lightsaber into the already broken monitor. The glowing red blade just inches away from the alien's throat.

"Darth Lepus… Stop this foolish behavior," Charon demanded meekly.

"For the last time, my name is Jack Savage. I got this name from the one who trained and taught me everything I know, Darth Vectivus. And one of the things he taught me was that being a Sith would make me free! That I had to follow just my own believes and nothing else. But I'm everything else but free. I'm here on this damned ship, drawn into Lord Ovis foolish competition with Darth Sidious and the Jedi council," Jack explained loud with clenched teeth.

"Stop...you're killing me, hare," Charon shouted underneath him.

"All of this I could take and accept, but I'll never accept what you did to her. Never. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"Yes! Yes! I understand but stop."

"No... there's no honesty in your words... just lies, and appeasements," Jack said and slowly closed the space between the saber and Charon's throat.

"NO, JACK! Please, don't do it," This voice was different, and Jack knew immediately it was her voice. Skye stood, just clothed in their blanket, in the middle of the bridge and watched with a shocked look, what his mate was doing.

"Jack please, I'm not worth to kill someone else," Skye said, but the hare replied, "For you, I would burn down a whole world and more."

"Yes, listen to her!" Charon said, but Jack replied instantly, "Shut up!"

"Jack, please. Come down, and we go back to our cabin. Please, do it for me. End this madness," Skye begged one last time, and Jack laid his head deep into his neck, closing his eyes for a moment and tried to come down. With a deep exhale, Jack closed his lightsaber but just when Charon thought it was over, Jack took the head of the alien in front of him and turned his gaze to Skye, who still stood in the middle of the room.

She had still the blanket clenched to her chest, and it was now that Jack guessed that her back was bare and visible for the crew members behind her. 'She was just focused on me...,' Jack thought, and a wave of shame flooded his mind which he tried to push in the back of his mind for now.

"Look at her and always remember that your miserable life continues because of the one you've hurt," Jack said and took his cybernetic paw finally from him. Still panting, the black stripped hare stepped down from the console and walked towards Skye. His lightsaber was extinguished and hung back on his belt. Grim, Jack looked to Telic who stood at the door with a slightly open mouth.

"You better help him, or he maybe bleeds to death...," Jack said to Telic but was interrupted by a tantrum from the raging Kaminoan, "You caught me off guard, hare! And you'll regret that I promise you," Charon screamed and escaped with a bleeding head the crushed console underneath him. Telic went immediately to him and supported him to leave the bridge.

When Jack was finally in front of Skye, she looked at him with this gaze that made him feel as if he was a little kid again and was just intensified when she said, "You shouldn't have done that."

"I'm sorry," Jack said and took the blanket quickly from Skye and wrapped her neatly into it. So that nobody could see what was only meant for him. They just wanted to return to their cabin when a voice sounded from the communication area, where a small projection stood, clothed in a black hood.

"Where do you two think you're going? Stay, we need to talk," Jack could already hear the smile in her voice.

Jack and Skye turned back to the small creature and replied in unison, "Yes, Lord Ovis."

'This day is getting worse and worse,' Jack thought and didn't even bother to smile.

"I saw your defeat, Charon. That is precisely the reason, why I don't allow you to use the title Darth...and now bring yourself in representable condition, Charon," Lord Ovis said and turned towards the vixen and the hare, while Charon left, supported by Telic, the bridge," Darth Lepus, you will continue with the pursuit of Nicholas Wilde and the Jedi Knight, Judy Hopps."

"Yes, Lord Ovis," Jack and Skye replied instantly.

"And Lepus...I'm a little bit sorry, I should've told you that Nick would use every dirty trick he knows to survive. But I guess, you'll be the next time more carefully when you challenge him. He was always like this, you know, even when I trained him."

"You...trained him?" Jack asked perplexed and could see how Lord Ovis laughed about his confused face, "Oh yes, I did. But at a certain point, he betrayed me. Lepus, if he continues to make problems...kill him. Miss Hopps is already annoying enough and probably all we need for our final test."

With the same innocent smile with which Lord Ovis ordered death, she continued to speak to Skye, "My dear vixen, how is the project going?"

"G-good, I wait just for the last information from Honey and then we are ready for the final test."

"Perfect! I awaited nothing less from you, Skye. Hopps and Wilde are right now on their way to Naboo, and so are you."

"Naboo? What do they want on Naboo?" Jack asked and recognized that he had to catch up on what happened after he became unconscious.

"Isn't it obvious? They want to find me and Nick knows who he needs to ask to get this information but not for free. Anyhow, a new queen will get her crown, and you two will attend the ceremony, locate Hopps and Wilde who will probably also attend this feast as guests, catch them and bring them to me. We will meet afterward on Moraband. Darth Lepus, you will get the command of this ship and Charon as your servant," Lord Ovis said. Jack knew that the Caminoan wouldn't like that. There was still one more question Jack had to ask before Lord Ovis would end the connection.

"What will you do during this time, Lord Ovis?"

"Me? Oh I wish I could see the new queen but I will meet with an old friend and see if he will join us or not. He and I haven't spoken to each other for such a long time. It will be a delight to see him again. Anyhow, we will have one last conversation which will decide if our paths lead us in different directions or back on the same road. I hope Darth Sidious will make the right decision," Lord Ovis said and smiled sweetly at the two before the hologram disappeared. Some seconds passed before Jack turned to Skye with a smile.

"You know... I always wanted to see you in a dress," Jack said, but all that Skye could do was stare at him with an open mouth before she began to laugh. Her laughing was always a relief for him.

"I'm glad I have the old Jack back," Skye said still chuckling before she pressed him a kiss on the forehead. With a shaking head and still laughing, Skye turned around and walked off, back to their room.

"What? I really do," Jack replied and followed her with a smile on his muzzle.


	3. Flying Sparks and Smoking Blasters

**Chapter 3 - Flying Sparks and Smoking Blasters**

* * *

!FYI! The events in this story are taking place approximately one year before the events of the Phantom Menace !FYI!

The Wheel - Besh Gorgon System

* * *

"So, that's it. We're here...I guess," Nick said and looked back at Judy. Both of them had crawled on all fours through a small air shaft to avoid contact with their persecutors at all costs. Judy, however, looked unconvinced back at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure? After all, this is your third attempt to find the right exit and just to remind you of your failure, Nick, the other two were a female locker room and the storage room of a bar," Judy replied.

"I know, Carrots but this time I'm 120% sure. Isn't the saying third times a charm? And in my defense, I'm the guy who knows every important person in the galaxy and not every air shaft," Nick replied and took his lightsaber into his paw. Four quick cuts did the trick and with a loud bang slammed the heavy piece of metal to the ground of the corridor underneath them.

"Bunnies first," Nick asked and put on a charming smile.

"If you insist, Mr. Wilde?"

"Oh, I surely do, Miss Hopps."

Cheered up from the small gesture, Judy tried to crawl past Nick in the small air shaft. Both of them came for a moment face to face with each other, when their movement stopped and they were stuck because of the tight air shaft. Eyes locked on the other person and both stopped whatever they were doing or thinking and concentrated just on their counterpart. Seconds passed but none of the two was moving.

Judy felt how her heart began to beat faster, 'What is wrong with me today? I should concentrate on completing my mission and not Nick's red fur or his green eyes.'

"Carrots?"

"Mmh," Judy replied, almost like in a trance.

"As much as I hate to end this moment... but I guess we have to go. You know the guys who want to catch us alive are still out there, probably searching for us right now," Nick mumbled without turning his eyes away from hers.

"Mmh," Judy replied again and snapped finally out of her daydreams, "O-o-of course. We have to go. How could we waste time like this."

Feeling the awkwardness of the unusual situation, Judy quickly moved on and jumped without looking down into the empty corridor. She cushioned her fall with the force and exhaled deeply, now where she had some space between her and Nick.

'It was a rough day, Judy. That's the reason why you're acting like this. Not the fight or that he saved your life or that he took care of you...Just pretend that nothing happened and he will give up on the topic. Never forget, emotions are something you should keep under control and not let control you,' Judy reminded herself. She took another deep breath and stroked over her ears to stop them from standing up. When she touched them, they felt like burning coals and were probably just as red.

Nick followed soon after, his eyes still focused on the bunny and waiting for a reaction from her but she kept quiet.

"So...do you just want to pretend that nothing happened and move on," Nick asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know...maybe the sparks that were flying between us? Not that I would instantly fall for a bunny like you…," Nick said and smirked at her.

Judy moved on and replied as casually as possible, "Sparks? I have no idea what you're talking about, Nick. Maybe your imagination is playing tricks on you?"

"Oh, Don't worry Missy. I know pretty well what just happened. But maybe you can enlighten me, what that was," Nick replied and crossed his arms in front of his chest. His smirk vanished slowly from his muzzle and his tone became more and more sarcastic.

Exhaling deeply, Judy turned around and faced Nick with a stretched out index finger, "Listen here, Fox! I have no idea what that was between us up there and by now I don't even want to know it anymore."

Judy walked on, while Nick stood still for a moment, "Of course, you don't know! How can you? You've never learned to live with your own emotions, the only thing you ever did was to deny them by command."

"At least I haven't forgotten who I am," Judy fired back and continued towards a heavy and very large steel door on which was printed the number forty-two. The letters went from the floor up to the ceiling and were printed each on one part of the sliding doors.

Nick's gaze, which was still on Judy, darkened when he began to speak, "Oh, you're right. I forgot something very important...namely the fact that I still talk to a true Jedi Knight and not a person who could feel something or who could be up to a little flirt...but I guess you'll continue from here on to play the old Jedi game that I know so well. Let's pretend to be free of emotions and everything will be a-okay. Well, spoiler alert...it will not work. Never has. Never will. And just to make another thing clear, I would also never go on a date with a nitpicker like you."

This time it was Judy who waited for Nick to catch up with her in front of the door, "Good! And just for the record, I would also never fall for such a fortune hunter like you are!"

"Good," Nick replied calmly and turned his head away from Judy.

"Good," Judy shouted back at him to end the conversation and turned her gaze away from him.

'Stupid fox! Who does he think he is,' Judy thought and gazed at the door in front of her, trying to get her emotions back under control and concentrating on the task beforehand. They had to leave this place and that as fast as possible, there was no time for such unnecessary distractions.

'Besides, why was Nick making me so unstable and emotional in the first place? What did he do to me,' Judy asked herself and began to think. Silence reigned between the two for the next few steps. In the end, it was Nick who broke the silence after he took a glance at her. He said smiling, "Still...I have to admit that you're quite cute. For a Jedi, I mean."

Judy had never received a compliment before and had because of this, any idea how she should react to him.

"D-don't call me cute…," Judy began to stammer but added after this light-hearted moment of her passed by, "...but someone like I know that this was a compliment, so...thank you."

There were no more words needed. Both of them still gazed away from each other but this time, each of them had a smile on their face.

Their little conversation had reached its end so had their stroll through the corridors. They had reached dock forty-two and both appeared even smaller in front of the gigantic steel door. Nick went to the nearest control panel, while Judy pondered what was happening on the other side right now.

"Do you think your friend Finnick is okay? He doesn't sound like somebody who is awfully discreet," Judy said, crossing her arms on her back and waiting for the door to open.

"Ah, I bet he's fine...if life finds a way, so does Finnick," Nick replied in an optimistic manner and touched some buttons on the console. With a loud noise the door opened and revealed a scenery that left Judy and Nick speechless for a minute.

The dock was more or less empty, with the exception of some smaller ships here and there but to the big surprise of both were the shutters into space still open. Just the Stargazer, which was surrounded by at least twenty armed soldiers, stood out like a sore thumb. Almost instinctively, Nick put a paw on Judy's head, right between her ears. Startled by the sudden touch, Judy didn't know if she should look at the fox or the soldiers who obviously waited for them. In the end, Judy kept staring at the enemy in front of her, while the massive door behind her closed with an incredibly loud screeching sound.

To Judy's surprise, the soldiers began to turn away from them and concentrated back at the freighter. Confusion spread over Judy's face. She didn't understand how the enemy couldn't see the bunny and the fox, who just walked through this massive door. Those two, for whom the whole station was looking for.

Sometimes it needs a sly grin to get things back in order. Judy gazed up at Nick and had to smile herself when she saw just the expression on the fox's face.

"You…," Judy began but Nick silenced her by taking the bunny into something that seemed at first glance like a hug, "Hey...What are you doing?"

"Saving our lives, Carrots," Nick said and walked with Judy close to him to a nearby crate. Her ears were directed at his chest, where she could hear that his heartbeat was faster than she expected and accompanied by heavy breathing. They reached a crate and disappeared to be out of sight for their enemies.

"How do you do this," Judy asked and made a step back, "Because, I can't imagine that you manipulate the physical world. That would be too much."

Tired green eyes gazed back at Judy and acknowledged her theory with a smirk, "Sly bunny but you're right. What I do is to use the flawed perception of any biological sense and add some 'errors' to cancel out my existence. I can't fool cameras or droids of any kind but I'm doing just fine with living beings."

"Okay...but what is with force users or large groups of people?"

"Force users are tricky, I can just fool them when they're not aware of the fact that I mess with their perception. And when it comes to groups...well, let's just say the more people there are, the shorter is the time I can use my ability because of its exhausting nature," Nick explained and leaned against the crate to take a deep breath.

"Okay, but why...why did you put your paw on my head and hugged me," Judy asked with a slight blush on her face.

"Admit it, you liked that," Nick asked with a teasing smile.

"N-no...I did not!"

"If you say so but the truth is...I like to cuddle cute little bunnies like you...Auh, not so hard," Nick said chuckling, while he received a nudge from Judy, "Okay, okay. Relax, Fluff. I get it, not the c-word. Jeez, you've got quite the temper for a Jedi...Anyhow, I did this because it's easier for me to cloak things or people who are close to my body. There's just a certain range in which I can do this," Nick finished his explanation and sat down to rest. Thinking about his ability, Judy looked at Nick, at least until a loud and deep voice echoed through the hall. Judy peeked carefully over the crate and watched the armed soldiers.

"Okay, Fox! That's your last warning! Open up the damn ship and then and only then we will not hurt you. Do you understand this, fox?"

Not even a second later shouted a familiar voice back at the leader of the soldiers. The voice came from inside of the Stargazer.

"If you want to get my furry butt alive, Teppert, then you have to cut me out of this damn tin can! You understand me, you bloody mercenary?"

The face of Teppert, who led the group was distorted with anger when he turned around.

"Alright! That's it! No more options for him. Etos, get the battle droid. We'll blow this thing to pieces," The leader shouted at a nearby standing human soldier who nodded and left the hangar, "And the rest of you - watch out for the bunny and the fox. I have the feeling that they'll soon be here and we'll greet them properly. Isn't that right, guys?"

Laughter sounded from the rows of mercenaries, who began to check and load their blaster.

"What now?"

Judy asked and hid again behind the crate.

"What do you mean with what now? We have to get into the ship and out of here. This place is getting too hot for my taste," Nick replied and stood up, brushing off dust and dirt from his pants and jacket.

"What I mean is, how do we want to do this? You look pretty beat."

"Oh, I certainly am, but I try my best to get us out of this situation and besides I still have some aces up my sleeve. Now help me up, Carrots. I'm pretty exhausted because of this extensive force usage today and just want to get some rest," Nick said and held his paw up to Judy. Without another question, she helped him up, just to have his paw seconds later between her ears.

Judy sighed and dropped her ears, but accepted her fate in the end. Not that Nick's warm paw felt bad in any way or was unpleasant. The problem was that close contact was still something new for her and something she had to get used to.

"Okay and please no unnecessary talk. The fewer senses I have to fool the better for me," Nick said and took a deep breath.

Time wasn't on their side and both of them knew this. Without further ado, the two walked straight up to the ship, Judy in front and Nick with his left paw on her head behind her. Shortly before they reached the first mercenary, Judy felt how Nick's paw became heavier and began to tremble. It was obvious that Nick would soon reach his limit. To be prepared, Judy moved her paw to her lightsaber to jump into action as soon as Nick no longer could keep up his ability.

Her heartbeat reached a new high when they passed the first mercenaries. She expected to be discovered and taken hostage at any moment but nothing like this happened. No matter how close they came to their enemies, they weren't seen or heard by anyone.

"Do you smell that," One of the mercenaries to Judy's left asked.

"What ya mean?"

"It smells like booze in here...a lot of different kinds of booze," the mercenary explained. Of course, the two of them knew instantly that Judy and her in alcohol drenched clothes were the problem. Judy glared up at Nick, who just responded with an apologetic smile.

"Pah, I think you just smelled your own breath, Gorek!"

"Oh, shut up, or I punch you in your stupid face!"

The two human mercenaries went on growling at each other but in the end, none of the two was there for a real fight. They walked on and had almost reached the ship when Nick whispered something that made her worried.

"Oh no, that's not good."

"What?" Judy whispered back.

"I know those guys but never met their captain. A Caminoan force user of the dark side. Taught himself everything he could find about the force, mostly through Holocrons, they said. He's obsessed with anything related to the Sith but he never had a master," Nick continued with their silent conversation.

"Why am I not surprised that you know him?"

"Oh shush, bunny...but I understand now," Nick whispered back.

"Understand what?"

There were two other mercenaries in front of them before they had reached the backside of the ship.

"That this was all a plan to lure us into this situation, Carrots. Finnick and I had worked with them on a mission, where we played the part of the backup crew, while they infiltrated an organization. We never met their leader but heard stories of him from Teppert over there. Afterward, they were the ones who told us about the gambling tournament in the Crimson Casino. I guess they followed us and waited until you arrived at the station. Damn it," Nick said and stopped. His left foot gave in, which forced Nick to go down on one knee.

"What's wrong? Are you okay? Should we stop?"

"No, we're pulling through with this ...but keep your paw at your lightsaber and be ready to run to the ship. Oh! And I'm sorry for what's coming," Nick said and his left paw began to cover one of Judy's ears while he pressed her head against his chest.

"Hey! What are you doing," Judy asked but it was too late, Nick began already to act. With his right paw, he grabbed something from the inside of his jacket, while he stopped to cloak them. Due to their small heights, nobody recognized them instantly.

"There they are! At the main entrance," Nick shouted with all the strength in his lunges and threw a small blinking object into the air above the group. Many of them saw the blinking thing but none of them reacted fast enough.

"Flash…," Teppert shouted at his men but too late. Fooled by the fox, every last mercenary was turning around to check the entrance or saw the strange object above them, just to be completely blinded and deafened by the flashbang. One bright flash illuminated the whole hangar and sent all of them to their knees.

Moaning like drunkards after a long night, the mercenaries crawled over the floor of the hangar and tried to regain their senses. Judy stood up and tried to help Nick but the fox just pushed her carefully away, further towards the ship.

"Hey! Why are you...Oh no, you idiot," Judy began and took his muzzle into her paws to comfort the one who had deafened himself and shielded her ears to maximize his attack, but Nick wanted to have none of that and began to shout at her, "You can praise my bravery later, go and start this damn ship! I bought us maybe five to ten minutes with that trick. Now go!"

"But Nick," Judy tried to insist when two blaster shots hit the ground beside her and the fox. A quick glance at the entrance showed them that the mercenary, who was given the task to return with a Battle Droid, was already back. Armed with a blaster rifle he tried to shoot at Judy and Nick without hitting his still disabled companions. He wouldn't be a huge problem but the droid he had brought with himself was,starting to load his weapons.

"Stop you two!"

"Go! I'll stop them," Nick yelled and yanked himself on his feet. His posture was miserable for the fighting position of a Jedi but he was standing on his own two feet and that right now was all that mattered.

Nick used his lightsaber to deflect enemy fire, while he fired back with his own blaster pistol in his left paw. Judy understood that she had to act now and began running towards her ship. At first, she was so nervous that she entered the wrong entrance code but could manage to keep a clearer head the second time. The rampant opened, while blaster shoots were flying through the air and hit the ground, ceiling or walls in the hangar.

As soon as Judy was in, she began to shout out commands to her board AI, "Start the engines, Patty and that as fast as possible! We need to get out of here!"

Calm as always, Patty replied, "Captain, I recognize blaster fire around us, should I also activate the blaster turret? Or would shields be sufficient enough for the moment?"

Judy hadn't thought about that but had also no time to reply instantly, as she was greeted in front of the small bridge by a sand-colored fox who was even smaller than she was. He held a blaster pistol in his paws, that was comically big for his size but the grumpy expression on his face told her that he was not here to joke.

"Who the hell are you, fluffbutt?"

"Judy Hopps. Jedi Knight, Captain of this ship and the one who talked to you on the communication device. And I guess your Finnick?"

"That's about right, Missy, but where's this idiot of a fox that I sometimes call my friend? You know, the guy with the red fur and that idiotic smirk on his face?"

Finnick stopped aiming at Judy and instead gazed behind her to spot the fox he was searching for. There was no time to waste, Judy walked past him and jumped onto the captain's chair, just to activate the ship's components.

"He's outside fighting a battle droid and some mercenaries to give us time to start the ship," Judy replied and began to tip on the console in front of her. Patty was slowly awakening from her slumber. The energy core was already providing the needed power but the engines, shields and weapons still needed some warm up time.

"Sounds heroic...you're sure that's Nick we're talking about?"

Judy ignored what he said and continued with the bootup sequence when an idea came to her mind. The blaster shots outside came closer and Judy knew she had to get out there to help Nick.

She leaned over the back of her captain's chair and spoke directly to Finnick, "Do you know how to use a blaster turret? If so, there's a ladder to your left, which leads to one."

"Do Wookies come from Kashyyyk?"

"I guess so…," Judy replied slightly confused about the question.

"There you have your answer, Missy," Finnick replied and started to climb the ladder with a grin on his face.

* * *

It didn't look good for Nick. The fox sat twenty meters away from Judy's ship behind a crate. He knew that the ship meant salvation but he was stuck behind a vanishing piece of metal while wave after wave of blaster shots was hitting his hiding spot in regular intervals and with dangerous precision. His breathing was heavy from the fight and when he checked the remaining load of his blaster pistol, he began to curse.

'One-quarter of energy left, which means I have maybe ten more shots...damn this day is getting worse and worse,' Nick thought and heard how the loud stomping sound of steel feet came closer and closer to him. But what made him nervous was the fact that he could hear the sounds of the battle again. Moaning, curses and even more commands came to his ear, which meant that the other mercenaries would soon be back on their feet. He knew he had to finish this fight and that quick. Who knew what would happen when the captain of the mercenaries would arrive and how many more guys with guns he would bring with him.

'Seems like, I have, yet again, to reach into my bag of Jedi tricks to end help me out,' Nick thought and inhaled deeply. He concentrated his breathing to gain the calm and focus to concentrate larger amounts of the force and knew that if there was an escape or even a tomorrow, he would deeply regret it because of the worst force exhaustion he ever had. But it was still better than death.

Inhaling.

Exhaling.

Inhaling.

It took him some time to gather the force power he needed to create a doppelganger of himself. It was not the elaborate work of a Jedi master who could create multiple illusions at once or even something that was made out of real matter nor was it perfect in any sense but it would serve its purpose to save Nick's tale one more time. The illusion looked identical to the original and Nick began to inspect himself for a moment as if he was looking in a mirror.

"Now look at the scruffy red fur on your face...No wonder Judy was so hostile after our little staring contest in the air shaft. I bet she didn't like what she saw. Well, that could be it or her attitude of being a true Jedi, of course," Nick said to his force projection, not that he would expect to get any response.

"FOX! I-I-I'm just a mechanic but if you give up, we will not harm you...I swear," The last fighting mercenary shouted over to Nick with shaking hands.

'Yeah, right. I bet you would prefer nothing more than to serve me your best food on your finest table after I flash banged all of your mercenary friends. No thanks, I haven't much left but I'd rather take a chance than get caught.'

"Here we go," Nick said and turned around the corner of the crate that faced away from his enemies, while his doppelganger took the other side. Not even a second later and the blaster fire concentrated on Nick's created illusion.

'So much about not harming me…,' Nick thought and aimed with the pistol in his right paw at the young mercenary. Nick aimed for the head but decided at the last moment for the blaster gun as his aim, 'This god damn codex, once in your head you'll never get it out.'

What followed was a fast succession of shots. The first one destroyed the mercenaries' blaster and made him unable to fight. Screams, that complained about a wounded shoulder reached Nick's ear, while he already targeted his next aim. This time it was the blaster in the arms of the almost two-meter high B2 battle droid, that Nick wanted to destroy. He didn't fire immediately, something about the big droid was bothering him but he couldn't lay his finger on what it was.

'Doesn't matter. In fact, the only thing that matters now is getting that thing down,' Nick thought and pulled with clenched teeth the trigger of his pistol. The first three shots destroyed the right arm and blaster, while the second salve of energy damaged the left one. The hits weren't perfect but probably good enough to give him the time he needed to end this.

Nick switched immediately into a run, placed his blaster pistol on his back and drew his lightsaber. The green plasma blade buzzed with the familiar sound, that still managed to send a shiver down on Nick's spine, whenever he heard it. He was almost there, the large battle droid just five meters away from him. A quick gaze around showed him that the first mercenaries were already getting up and they definitely looked not happy.

'Time to end this,' Nick thought. He prepared two meters in front of the droid for a jump, his lightsaber in both paws and ready to pierce the torso of his metal enemy.

The droid couldn't react fast enough because he still tried to fix his malfunctioning blasters. The green blade disappeared into the body of the droid, while Nick grabbed with his left paw for a place to keep himself on the robot. Grinning, he looked at his opponent.

"Gotcha, big boy."

Feeling victorious, Nick pulled his sword slowly back to inspect the damage his enemy had taken but his face turned fast from joy to confusion when he saw.

There was no whole.

Just a black spot that was darker than the rest of the metal around it. Without hesitation, Nick stroked the fingers of his right paw over the surface of the metal, before the left hand of the droid closed around his waist. Nick had lost but there was just one word in his mind that could explain why he did so, 'Beskar.'

"Nicholas Wilde. You're under arrest," A high pitched mechanical voice told him while the sounds of multiple loaded blasters and angry mercenaries had cut off his path to freedom.

"You heard him, Wilde. It's over," Teppert said, pointing a blaster at the fox. His eyes were still red from the flash but focused solely on Nick. He wore plain grey armor with no visible sign that would identify him as a member of any group, "Unbelievable what trouble you've caused us. Now give me your lightsaber and blaster, will ya?"

Nick, who was in serious pain through the hard grip of the Droid, moaned before he looked down at the human and his greying beard and hair.

"Honestly, I would love to *augh* get rid of this uncomfortable situation and just give up but I guess that's not for me to decide."

"And who else should do that?"

Instead of answering, Nick pointed with his thumb over his shoulder and in the direction of Judy's ship. The heads of the soldiers turned around, what they saw was an angered bunny with a purple lightsaber in her right paw emerging from the darkness of the freighter. She was small but her threatening presence could be felt in the whole hangar and by every last of the mercenaries.

"Let. Him. Down," Judy said in a low voice.

Teppert chuckled and looked amused to his companions before he began to speak, "I'm sorry but I don't take orders from cute little bunnies."

Laughter went through the rows of mercenaries but it was Nick who spoke and shook his head, "Oh buddy, you shouldn't have said that."

The insecure laughter died slowly down until it was dead silent in the hangar.

"Finnick! Watch my back!"

Judy yelled back into the ship and began to run towards the group, no sign of fear in her eyes. Confused about her command, the soldiers searched for the sand-colored fox and from where he might attack. The mystery for them was solved when they heard two things at once. At first, they heard the movement of the blaster turret on top of the freighter who turned towards them and second, the piercing laughter of Finnick who sat behind the just mentioned weapon.

"Who blows now whom to pieces?" Finnick said and started to fire.

"Dammit," The leader murmured before he yelled new commands, "Scatter! And take this damn turret down!"

Soldiers were running from their position when the first heavy blasts began to hit the ground. Meanwhile, Judy took the first mercenary down by destroying their weapon with an uppercut of her sword, followed by a fast kick into the face of the soldier.

She used the falling soldier as a platform for her next jump and a direct hit with both feet into the next soldier's face was the result.

Her path to Nick and the Battle Droid was open.

"Get her! We can't allow her to get the fox!"

Three more soldiers ran towards Judy but we're cut off by several shots from Finnick, who proved with every passing second his value as a backup.

"Carrots!"

"Not now, Nick! I don't know if you don't see it but I try to save your scruffy tail," Judy yelled at him and began to jump around the battle droid while dealing several strikes with her lightsaber. But even her attacks had no influence on the robot. Her last attack was combined with a jump, where she tried to cut the droid in two but remained in the end on his shoulders. Confused, she moved on and landed after a backflip from the shoulders of the iron giant some meters behind his back, looking directly at Nick, who began to speak.

"That's what I wanted to tell you! His outer shell is made of beskar! You can't destroy him so easily with your lightsaber."

"What? What is beskar?"

"Mandalorian Iron! What the hell did they teach you nowadays in the academy?"

Judy reflected two incoming blaster shots and shouted back at Nick, "I know what Mandalorian Iron is! I just didn't know the term beskar. Now what?"

Judy went into a complete defense mode because of the incoming blaster fire. Until now she could reflect every shot that was directed at her and could even send some of them back to their source but Nick was sure that she knew that this was nothing she could do forever.

"On this arm here is still a malfunctioning blaster. It's made of normal metal...you can cut off his arm there!"

Judy's face changed into annoyance, "Why didn't you say that sooner?"

Judy moved fast and jumped back onto the shoulders of the battle droid, where an already grinning Nick was waiting for her, still in the metal class of the droid.

"Nice jump, I guess that's why your name is Hopps, right?"

Baffled for a second, Judy didn't know what to do but ended up smiling at Nick, "Idiot."

"Watch out," Nick yelled when the droid tried with his half-destroyed right arm to hit Judy but missed the fast-moving Jedi. She could drop off his shoulder and onto the ground just in time.

The battle around them started more to focus on Finnick, who kept the firing mercenaries busy and behind crates.

"Get the grenades and take that damned turret out!" Teppert screamed and fired at the ship. The shield was still online but became weaker with every second.

"Let's test your theory, Nick," Judy said and slid through the legs of the droid and located the broken blaster in the right arm of the robot. A second later, she swung a hard uppercut with her purple lightsaber and cut off the arm at the exact location. Confirmed what Nick had just stated, Judy continued to use her momentum. She used the remaining part of the droid's arm as a platform to do a backflip during which she cut off the second arm of the droid and set Nick free.

Both landed safely on the ground, took a quick glance at each other and nodded. They knew what they had to do and began to run towards the ship, deflecting shots left and right. The soldiers were coming closer and just when they entered the ship, both stopped because they felt the same thing. An enemy who was also a force user was approaching.

Nick kept staring into the hangar and located the unusual Caminoan at first, Judy did so too but maybe a second later.

"Go and bring us out of here," Nick said and felt Judy's paw on his forearm. Her gaze was serious and forbad any kind objection, "Don't play the hero, Nick. Whatever is going on here, I need you for this. So...please don't do anything reckless, okay?"

He didn't show it but Nick was moved by Judy's genuine concern about his own life. Except for Finnick, there was no one who was ever interested in his well-being. An honest smile appeared on his muzzle, probably the first one in many years.

"Thank you, Judy but you don't need to worry. I just prevent uninvited guests from entering. Now go," Nick said and Judy accepted his words with a smile and quick squeeze of Nick's forearm. Then she disappeared into the ship, yelling commands to the ship's AI.

Nick didn't step back into the battle, he just watched what was going on in front of him. The blasters were too weak to overcome the shield and the few grenades that were thrown at them Nick reflected with the force. None of the attackers dared to come closer to the ship. With one big exception.

Charon, the Caminoan who commanded this group of mercenaries still walked towards the hovering ship. Unease spread through Nick's mind with every step the self-proclaimed Sith took, only the rumbling of the ship could help Nick to feel better. The fox gave the Sith several meters below him a last salute when they began to enter space.

"You will not escape me," Charon screamed and used whatever anger he could find inside him to grab the whole ship with the force. Nick staggered from the sudden stop and almost fell, but he managed to grab a nearby railing.

"What's going on back there?"

"Charon tries to pull us back in! Come on, Carrots, pedal to the metal! We need everything this ship has!"

The engines on each side of the ship began to roar even louder but they gained no inch of space between their enemy and them.

"Judy! More!"

"That's all I can manage to give! The ship can't use more energy or the core will overload," Judy shouted from the other side of the ship.

"Dammit," Nick muttered to himself and drew his blaster. The display of the pistol told him that the energy level was already on the edge but that didn't matter right now. The shot wouldn't be deadly and probably not even dangerous. But if it could break Charon's concentration and focus on the force for a second – they could escape. Nick aimed, pulled the trigger and struck Charon's left shoulder. Startled about the attack, Charon grabbed for his shoulder to inspect his wound.

It worked and that even better than Nick had anticipated...and maybe even too well for his liking.

Charon went down on his knees, he had lost his grip of the ship partially. Uncontrolled, the ship slammed with a maximum acceleration against a steel column on their way out of the hangar. The sound made clear that there was severe damage to the outer shell of the ship and maybe even some of the important systems onboard but that wasn't Nick's main concern at the moment.

Blasters began again to fire at them but none of the bolts had any impact on the ship and it's shield. They had escaped the Wheel and were now on their way into the unknown.

Nick was still standing on the ramp when they were tossed into space. To his luck enclosed his paw the nearby railing that prevented him from being immediately sucked into the cold and uncaring void of the universe.

The vacuum was tearing at him like a beast from an uncivilized planet that wanted to end his hunger but Nick didn't give in. With not much air in his lungs, he began to shout and hoped that Judy could hear him.

"Close! The! Ramp!"

There was no direct reply from Judy but the ramp started to close until the ship was sealed tight. Nick slammed with his head first onto the hard metal floor. For a while, the fox laid just on his back and continued to breathe until sleep and exhaustion swept him away.

Nick didn't know what happened moments ago or how much time had passed, all he knew was that his head was hurting terribly and that he somehow managed to stay in the ship before he could be sucked into space. For now, he just wanted to relax and be happy that he was still alive. He closed his eyes and began to relax again.

"Nick?"

The fox opened slowly his green eyes and looked up into purple and yellow ones, that stared back at him.

"I told ya he isn't dead."

"Hey, guys...we made it. Didn't we? What's wrong?"

The fox was certainly not in control of all his senses. Judy and Finnick exchanged a gaze at each other before Judy began to speak.

"Are you okay, Nick? That fall sounded pretty...impactful to say the least," Judy said and tried to hide her worries behind a chuckle, while she kneeled down to take his head into her paws.

"Yeah…I'm fine," Nick replied and began to smile. He obviously liked it to rest his head in her paws, there was doubt about that but then the memories of how he ended on the floor flooded back into his mind, "Wait! Where are we? Are we already flying somewhere?"

Nick stumbled to his feet and began to walk staggering towards the bridge but he slammed immediately against the next wall, where he slumped down.

"Nick! Don't worry, I navigated us to a nearby asteroid. We're currently hidden in a large crater. We're safe...for now," Judy said and came to his support. When she had stabilized the exhausted fox, he began slowly to talk, "We have a lead and we should better follow it fast."

"Oh really, now, who wants to see us dead," Finnick asked with crossed arms in front of his chest, while Judy helped Nick to sit down on the floor.

"No idea…, " Nick said and began to feel his head for a bump, while Finnick replied, "Didn't you just say you have a lead?"

"Yes, but it has something to do with the battle droid they used. He was coated in Mandalorian Iron...you know what that means, Finnick. Am I right," Nick asked, who couldn't hide his grin, while Finnick began to throw his arms into the air and began to shout, "Oh hell no! Not Mr. Big again. I'm so done with him and his mob boss antics!"

Judy who had no idea what was going on switched with her gaze between the devastated looking Nick and the furious Finnick.

"Hey...I didn't choose to walk into him again but what should we do otherwise? Wait until this guys found us here? No thank you, I rather find out who's behind all of this than hiding in a sinkhole on an asteroid that's drifting aimlessly through space."

"What are you two talking about," Judy asked and gave both a demanding look.

"Whatever. If you want an explanation, Bunny, then ask Nick...I'm going to cook something to keep myself busy. The hell. What for a day...my ship's gone, the money's gone and now we have to meet Mr. Big... I hope this ship has at least a decent kitchen," Finnick said and walked off but his muttering could still be heard through the whole ship.

"Nick tell me please. What's wrong?"

Judy asked and the fox wanted to answer but he tried to find a fitting start for the upcoming explanation, "What do you know about Mandalorian Iron, Fluff?"

"Well...it's rare, expensive and can withstand lightsaber attacks, as well as many other weapons as we just learned. Isn't that about right?"

"More or less, Carrots, but the most important thing you have to know about this stuff is that it's regulated by the RCR or Republic Council of Resources. Whoever would buy enough of Mandalorian Iron to coat a battle droid would get problems with the Jedi Council. So...where is that stuff from?"

Judy began to think as she sat beside Nick, "Okay, so we're talking about illegal ways to buy large amounts of Mandalorian Iron? I guess we should set course to the Outer Rim then?"

Nick laughed and turned his head towards Judy, "So, you think crime like this can only happen outside of the Republic?"

"Well, yes?"

"Oh you sweet summerchild, but that's not how crime works. Even the mob bosses live where they like to live if they're powerful enough. Set course to Naboo. There we'll find our man," Nick said and closed his eyes.

"Wait! Naboo? But, but, that's…," Judy began to speak but searched for words she couldn't find at that moment so Nick added what she couldn't, "Unexpected?"

"Yeah pretty much," Judy said and looked hopeful at Nick, "I guess we're working together on this then?"

Nick took a moment to think about the offer from the bunny and while the two of them sat there on the floor of the ship, delicious smells filled the air around them. Stomachs began to growl and made the decision what they would do next easier.

"I guess we do or otherwise I'll be hunted by some unknown force for the rest of my life," Nick said smiling, "...but for now we should attend dinner or Finnick will bite our faces off. Can you help me up, Carrots? I guess that was a little bit too much force usage for one day."

"Sure," Judy said, stood up and held her right paw towards him, "So what do you say, Slick. Are we partners for the rest of this adventure and I promise to not report you to the council?"

"Partner sounds actually like a pretty good idea...as well as the fact that you will not report me to the higher ups," Nick confirmed and took her paw to be pulled up. Both walked together to the dinner room, while Judy supported the fox.


	4. Time to Talk

**Chapter 4 - Time to Talk**

* * *

!FYI! The events in this story are taking place approximately one year before the events of the Phantom Menace !FYI!

Location: Asteroid field near the Wheel on the backside of a large asteroid - Besh Gorgon System

* * *

"Okay, please say that again," Nick demanded, pressing the bag of ice harder against his forehead, which he had slammed against the floor not too long ago. He sat at one of the twelve chairs of the crew's steel dinner table, while his feet rested on the edge of the furniture. The table was huge, circular and Judy felt rather lonely sitting there alone during her first breakfast yesterday morning.

But yesterday was yesterday and since then her situation had changed drastically. Right now, the three of them hid on the dark side of an asteroid, one of the thousands that floated through space a good distance away from the space station that they had just escaped from. According to their scanner, there was no one actively searching for them but who knew how fast things could change.

"Fine, as I said before my name is Judy Hoops and I'm here to…," Judy began to explain when Nick raised a paw to intervene,

"...Search for twelve missing scientists, which I should have kidnaped. Which I didn't. I get it...but what makes me even more curious is the fact that the Jedi Council is preparing for a fight against the Sith Order? What Sith? There are no Sith! Maybe some but for sure no whole army. Ever heard of the rule of two…*Sigh* Auh, my head." Nick stopped for a moment and winced, while he lifted the bag of ice on his head and moved it into a new position.

"The rule of two is a myth. All we know about it comes from a mad Jedi who turned to the dark side and initiated the Dark Jedi Conflict over a hundred years ago. And no one believed him. How could we know that there are still Sith, alive and kicking," Judy asked Nick, while she turned her head for a moment to the small kitchen area behind her. Finnick, who used a chair to stay and work properly in front of the stove, prepared meals for them. When Judy looked back at Nick, she pointed with her thumb at Finnick and whispered, "What is he doing?"

"He's cooking, Carrots, because that's what he is – a cook. Before you ask and because I can already see the curiosity in your eyes, I found him some years ago on a pirate ship where he was held captive against his will. I helped him escape and since then, we're one heart and a soul. Am I right, Finnick," Nick said and grinned at the Fennec fox who held two plates with food in his right paw and a bottle with milk and a glass in the other. He put the deep plate that was filled with different salads and vegetables in front of Judy, who gazed at it with a confused look. She hadn't expected to receive something from the small fox but was delighted to do so.

"Thank you," Judy replied confused and inhaled the different odors of her meal. She came to the conclusion that it smelled delicious and realized that she was indeed hungry after all the fighting and efforts to stay alive.

Finnick placed himself two seats beside Nick. Without waiting, he put the last plate with the spicy cooked meat down in front of him and gave Nick the glass and the opaque-colored milk.

"Yeah, yeah...heart and soul my ass. Now is dinner time, talk is for later," Finnick replied, looking first at the bootle of blue milk and then at Nick. "Here. I guess bantha milk is all you can drink after you played too long with the force and your new dark-side friends. Am I right?"

"You know me too well, little buddy," Nick replied with a grin, Judy interrupting their conversation hastily. "Wait? Why can't you eat something? I mean...I know Bantha milk is refreshing and everything but we just spend almost a whole day fighting off enemies. Wouldn't it be better to eat something..well, solid?"

"Oh, Carrots," Nick began,smiling at her. "Have you ever experienced force exhaustion before? And I mean true force exhaustion, where you have to go over your limits just to stay alive?"

Baffled for a moment, Judy replied, "Well...no. Not really."

"Ah, I see. Well, I did this several times and I am force exhausted right now. Which isn't surprising after a week of constant force usage by manipulating the outcome of a card tournament. I kinda felt already a little bit drained but the fights and especially my cloaking ability did the rest. So no solid food for me or it would all end in the gutter very quickly."

Angered about this new information, Judy yelled at him "Wait...you did what? I thought you're a good sabacc player and in the finale because you'd earned it!"

"Of course I am… In fact, I'm a fantastic Gambler, but everyone on those tables was too. Haven't you seen by now that I wouldn't use any advantage I have to win? Especially in the case of a tournament and the prospect of winning enough money for the rest of my life," Nick replied with a disarming smile on his muzzle, while Judy's mouth, already hanging to the floor, dropped further open to speak her mind. In the end though she said nothing and just sighed in relief. Even in this short amount of time, she understood that her words would be a lost cause.

"Could you do me one last favor before we eat, Nick?"

"Sure buddy. Whatever you want."

"Good...then move ya feet," Finnick snapped at the red fox, "I told you like a million times, that you should keep your dirty feet off the dinner table or I'll bite your face off!"

"Oh come on! Let me relax a little bit. I just fought several dangerous enemies and saved our lives, for fox sake," Nick replied, turning to his companion. Finnick wanted to hear none of that, "I. Don't. Care! Now move your feet or I'll do it for ya."

Nick sighed in annoyance but, in the end, he yielded and did what his friend demanded from him. Judy, who had already begun to eat, chuckled about the two foxes and their antics. It was rare for her to share a meal with someone else and it reminded her of the time before she became a Jedi. A time when she was still with her family and friends on her home planet, with so many friendly faces around that she had never felt alone. The thought about her past hurt and because of that Judy tried to push it into the deepest corner of her mind where it would slowly fade until the pain was gone. It was the same as always, she overplayed her feelings and moved on.

"You two act like an old married couple but I have to admit, Finnick, the salad tastes delicious," Judy remarked, while she skewered more vegetables onto her fork.

"Yeah? Good for you, Missy. But let me tell ya, that from where I come we wait with eating until everyone at the table is ready. Seems like manners are not the first priority of the Jedi academy," Finnick said, Judy dropping her fork instantly.

"I...I'm sorry," Judy replied and bowed her head in shame.

Turning back to Nick, Finnick continued, "Now will you pour yourself a glass full? You know how much I hate it when I have to eat my dinner cold."

Sighing again, Nick opened the bottle of bantha milk and poured himself a glass full. "You know I can't refuse you any wish, old buddy. Anyhow, cheers and have a good meal you two. But to be honest, I'm not awfully worried about that, given the person who prepared them."

Nick said it out loud and earned himself a contemptuous snort from Finnick, who continued to cut down his steak. Judy found Finnick's behavior at first glance very rude but saw that he was actually smiling. In the end, Judy assumed that this was just the way the two-handled things between each other.

Time moved on and while Judy finished her salad, Nick had already emptied his first glass and poured himself a second one.

"Also, it's not true that no one believed the story of this mad guy who fell for the dark side. What was his name? Khob? No...Klob? Something like that…Regardless, there was one Jedi who did believe him. Someone who witnessed all of it first hand and who's still part of the Jedi Council...or so I assume." Nick said and looked over to Judy as if he wanted to see what her reaction would be.

Judy put her fork down and sounded genuinely amazed when she began to speak, "What? Who?"

"Oh, just an unimportant Jedi of the Council who goes by the name of Yoda," Nick remarked with a smirk, taking another sip from his glass. The astonished bunny gazed at the fox, her mouth openning slightly as she gasped.

"Grand Master Yoda told you? When...and, and what?"

"Not me, Carrots. Us."

"Us? Who else did he tell about this?"

"Okay, storytime," Nick said, amused about Judy's interest. He straightened himself up in his chair. The exhaustion of the day was still all over his face but at least his drink seemed to relax him a little bit.

"Here we go again," Finnick said, rolling his eyes. Still shocked by Nick's statement, Judy ignored the small fox.

"When I was still a youngling of the academy, Yoda was the one who taught us the basics of the force, the Jedi code, basic lightsaber-wielding and so on. I guess every Youngling went through this stage with him. And you probably won't believe it, Carrots but I wasn't the most popular cadet at that time and got bullied a lot, mostly because of my species and height, but he gave me strength. And back then, I adored him...for his patience, his kindness, and his unbreakable will. Please, don't smile like that...but I truly did. Yoda was the one who showed me that you don't need to be tall to be great," Nick said and Judy remembered her own training with Grand Master Yoda as a youngling. She understood what he endured because she went through the same mistreatment thanks to being a bunny.

"I know what you mean," Judy replied and both shared a short moment smiling at each other as if they could see each other's memories.

"Anyhow," Nick began and sat straight at the table, "One member doesn't make a whole Council and sometimes even a grandmaster has to give in. He once told us the story of Darth Bane. A Sith Lord and leader of the Sith Order, who came to the conclusion after another long and unsuccessful battle with the Jedi Order that they can't go on like this. It took him some time to develop and establish his new idea in which only a master and a student should exist in the Sith order. As you may have heard, the idea goes like this. The master will teach all he knew to his student and when the time came that Master and Student were equal, the student could try to rise to take the place of its master and the circle would begin again. Or the old Master would win and was then looking for a new student. This would continue until one day only the most powerful Sith would remain as the only successor, who could destroy the Jedi and rule over the whole Galaxy. Sounds terrifying, am I right?" Nick asked, grinning, while Finnick looked angrily at him.

"Didn't I say you two can talk later? I don't want to hear you two talking for hours about your space-wizard-fairy-tales"

Judy, who was extremely curious by now, stepped onto her chair with a twitching nose and ignored the angry-looking sandfox to her right.

"I've never heard about the origins of the rule of two, just... just rumors from some other Jedi that it maybe exists...I've also never read about them in the archives and we both know that everything is in the archives," Judy replied with her ears up. She touched her chin and began to think about Nick's words until she stared at him with wide eyes, "But that would mean..."

"Right, the Jedi council forbid the knowledge after some incidents where too many Jedi talked about it. Nothing surprising to me because they just did what they always do when they're afraid of something they don't understand...they hid it, after their realization that they couldn't throw it away. The records were moved to the part of the archive that's just accessible for Jedi of the rank of a master and people with special access from the council. Even master Yoda was no longer allowed to talk with anyone about this. What wise, old Masters they are," Nick said and Judy could feel with every syllable of the fox the hate he had for the Council. She had no idea why he had such strong emotions but one thing was clear as day, that this here was something personal between him and the Jedi Order.

It became quiet at the table. The only thing that still could be heard was the faint beeping of the ship and the system.

"What happened to Darth Bane," Judy asked, still curious but aware of Nick's emotional state.

"Great, more fairy tales…," Finnick replied with rolling eyes. Both Jedi seemed to ignore the smaller fox, who in return crossed his arms in front of his chest. Nick, however, took his time. Smiling, he drank a sip from his milk and enjoyed Judy's curiosity about the topic.

"He faked his and his apprentice's death and went into hiding to start the cycle I explained to you earlier. But that's not all, with him vanishing so did the Sith order. A collective of Sith which was once as strong as the Jedi Order and very similar in their structure," Nick explained and took another sip from the milk. The liquid left some blue on his snout, that he wiped away with the sleeve of his jacket. Judy on the other side of the table nodded to show that she understood what he was talking about.

Now also interested in the tales that Nick was telling about Jedi and Sith, Finnick turned to Nick, "So let me get this straight. Only two Sith remained from what? Hundreds?"

"More like thousands," Nick replied, while he stared into his almost empty glass, "but no, not all of them died. I mean most of them did while fighting the Jedi Order but others fled deeper into the Galaxy, went into hiding or continued to build a new order. None of them should ever be as powerful as the Sith Order of Darth Bane. Their leader was gone and it took them some time to understand that they were on their own from this point in time," Nick explained and leaned back in his chair.

"And why did this Yoda guy tell you and the other younglings such cruel stories," Finnick asked.

Just when Nick opened his mouth, Judy began to speak, "Because he wanted to prepare us for the dangers that are still lurking in the shadows of this galaxy. It's a warning."

"Bingo," Nick replied, smiling and winked at Judy.

"Okay...What now? Is our enemy one of those rule-of-two-guys or not," Finnick asked while he and Judy looked to Nick.

"Honestly?"

Finnick and Judy replied in unison, "Yes."

"I have no idea...but that's also the reason why we have to travel to Naboo and meet Mr. Big," Nick said. Judy and Finnick exchanged looks at each other to see what the other was thinking. Finnick, on one hand, was not amused for this meeting and Judy on the other paw had obviously never heard of Mr. Big.

"Damn...do we have to? I mean, you surely remember what happened the last time when we had business with him, right," Finnick asked and looked as if he awaited an honest answer.

"Listen Finnick, I have no problem living my whole life in hiding before the authorities of the Republic...but also living in fear of some unknown dark side force user, who wants to see me dead or taken hostage? No thanks," Nick ended and put his empty glass on the table.

"So, you two will help me with this task," Judy asked the two, who began to exchange looks at each other until Nick began to grin at Finnick. In return, the smaller fox left the conversation with a loud sigh and began to clean the table.

"Yeah, you can count me in, as long as you cut me out of your report to the Council... you're also with us, right Fin?"

Finnick, who had already cleaned up the table and walked towards the small kitchen, shouted back at Nick in a mixture of anger and amusement, "Of course I'm in! Someone has to save your furry butt. Or do you think Missy here could do that?"

Leaving with the deepest laughter Judy had ever heard, Finnick was gone before he could hear Judy's reply, "Hey! I would and could save Nick!"

"Well, I'm delighted to hear that, Carrots," Nick said, smiling at her in a way that made her blush.

"Wait that's not what I...you know what? Forget it, Nick," Judy said and sighed aloud, the pink color was slowly leaving her inner ears but she was sure that he had seen it. Changing the topic was the best she could do for now, "Anyhow...who is this Mr. Big and why do we have to meet him," Judy asked, looking at the red fox on the other side of the table.

"Do you remember the Droid we fought and especially what his outer shell was made of?"

"Yes, you said it's made of Mandalorian Iron. Why?"

"Bingo," Nick said enthusiastically and pointed a finger at Judy, "And as I told you before this metal is heavily controlled by the Republic Administration. So, how does the Sith Lord, who wants to get their dirty hands on us, get enough of that stuff to use it for multiple droids," Nick asked.

"Wait...how do you want to know that it was used for multiple droids?"

"Carrots, please. Who would buy this rare, expensive and heavily guarded material for one droid? And then you give this very special droid to your henchman? No, no, no, someone has a plan here. I have no idea what this plan is but I can feel that it is something horrific…but I digress….where was I," Nick asked and looked at Judy, waiting for a hint from the young doe.

Chuckling about his confusion, Judy replied, "You wanted to talk about Mr. Big and why we have to meet him."

"Yes! Of course, Mr. Big! You see, if you want to trade anything in this Galaxy that's rare, expensive and especially forbidden - he's your man. And an extremely wealthy one on top of that. But…," Nick began to explain and to scratch his chin.

"But?"

"His service always comes with a price."

"That sounds suspicious and very expensive," Judy replied smiling.

"Oh, it is very suspicious and the price. Well, it depends," Nick replied, also smiling.

"Depends on what?" Judy asked back while Finnick returned to the table. This time he held three steaming metal cups in his paws. He placed one in front of Judy, while the other two were for himself and Nick.

"Thank you," Judy said, smiling to Finnick about the kind gesture, getting another one of the sandfox's grunts in response. She didn't mind that he just stared into his own cup without a real reply, she had already accepted that Finnick was someone who showed almost no signs of emotions, not that there weren't any there.

The drink in her cup was a dark red tea that emitted an intense odor of berries and fruits that Judy had never smelt before. A little sip confirmed her suggestion that it tasted just as good as it smelled.

"Ahh, delicious. As always, you have my thanks for such a fine cup of tea, Fin. But back to you, Carrots. What he wants depends mostly on the demand...and the one who's asking the question."

"I hope you remember that I, like every other Jedi on a low-rank mission, have only a paw full of credits with me. Which is, I guess, not even close to what a mob boss and illegal trader of rare resources would want to have," Judy said, sipping with closed eyes from her metal cup. The hot and delicious liquid was a relief for Judy and reminded her once more of her old life.

"Don't worry, you don't pay him in credits. What he wants is that you do him a favor. Quid pro quo, you know," Nick explained and waited for her reaction.

"A favor, heh," Judy said, more to herself rather than her two companions. She enclosed her muzzle with her right paw and began to think. Judy knew that under normal circumstances a Jedi wouldn't be allowed to work with criminals but this here was different. If there was really a Sith Lord involved, she had to move on and do what was best for the galaxy and act fast. Maybe this was, after all, the test she always wanted to prove herself. Smiling, she turned to Nick and exclaimed, "I think I'm ready to do what has to be done. But I have at least to inform the council about the current situation...don't worry. I won't mention you two. Patty?"

"Yes, Captain," the voice of the AI responded immediately.

"Open an encrypted connection to the Jedi Council," Judy said, hoping for a stable connection from their current position somewhere on the backside of a large asteroid, near the casino. Patty's first response was just the noise of an error message. Judy's ears dropped in disappointment, that only grew when the artificial intelligence explained what had happened. "I'm unable to open a connection, Captain. It seems that the damage I received during our escape destroyed my capability of using encrypted subspace communication. Normal, unprotected communication is still possible."

"What? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I'm sorry, Captain but the diagnosis of my system is still not complete. I will give you a full report as soon as the scan has ended," The AI replied.

"Blueberries," Judy muttered before she began to smile with a newfound determination, "You know what? I will send them later a message. Patty?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"Set a course to Naboo!"

"Of course, Captain. Calculate travel time...Estimated time is fourteen hours, thirty-six minutes and forty-three seconds. Entry into Hyperspace in thirty minutes," the AI replied obediently. Nick poured down the last bit of his tea and said in a sleepy voice.

"Well that is that and now it's time for a long nap and we all know it's one I have definitely earned myself. And thank the force that we have at least our own rooms on this ship. I couldn't survive a night with Finnick's snoring," Nick said, grinning at the small sandfox and stretching his limbs until he heard a satisfying pop. Finnick on the other paw just stood up and walked towards the back of the ship and its empty rooms.

Interested in their reaction, Judy watched them carefully from her side of the table, "How can you two be so calm after all that has happened today? I still try to calm myself down and you two act as if this is normal to you. I mean... You lost your ship. Isn't that like losing your home?"

With just their backs insight for Judy there was no possibility to see their reaction. When both of them dropped their ears in unison, she could feel that something wasn't right. Nick replied without turning back. His voice sounded weary, "Oh this...Well, you get used to a life on the run. And the ship...it's sad that it's gone but it was just a ship and I'm glad that I didn't consider it my home because it feels way more devastating to lose your home than just a stupid ship. Trust me, Carrots."

"What," escaped Judy's muzzle, not knowing what she should reply.

In a way, Nick tried to overplay what he really thought but Finnick's voice showed the bitterness in both of them, "Idiot...why do you always talk about things that no longer exist?"

With slowly dropping ears, Judy watched how each of them entered a different room. No one spoke another word. The doors closed and she was alone with her thoughts. Almost unnoticeable from the inside, the Stargazer departed from the asteroid and began to fly back into open space.

"Their...home? What…," Judy said a little bit louder. Without even wanting that, she triggered with her rhetorical question the board AI who felt obliged to help her captain out, "Home. A place to which a lot if not all species in the galaxy have a strong emotional connection which lasts during their whole life."

Judy rolled her eyes and replied, "Thanks Patty but I think that wasn't needed…"

But the AI didn't stop, she just continued in her explanations as if her aim was to make a certain point for Judy, "...Species Vulpes. Home planet Vulpentis. Status destroyed."

"What?" Judy asked shocked and felt how her heart sunk in her chest, "How?"

"The circumstances for the destruction are unclear. The public information about the event are mostly speculations, made by scientists after their inspections of the remains of the planet. There are no records about or from surviving citizens," Patty explained and went silent.

Judy took her cup and walked over to the bridge with the oversized captain's chair. Outside of the ship passed by massive pieces of rock and smaller debris from the asteroid she had chosen as a hideout.

"Tell me what happened," Judy ordered and took her place in the chair.

"Yes, Captain," Patty replied but it took her another second before the robotic voice was heard again, "Twenty-eight years ago, the government of the planet Vulpentis which existed on the outskirts of this galaxy, sent a single emergency call to the Republic and every ship in their surrounding. It took the closest ship a minimum of six hours to arrive at the planet but it was already too late. What they found were the uninhabitable and broken remains of Vulpentis. An immense detonation was later detected by several long-range scanners but there were no survivors or ships that could escape. All members of the species Vulpes who live today were not present on their home planet on the day of the calamity."

Judy exhaled deeply before she looked for a moment into the wide field of stars in front of her cockpit to calm her nerves down for a little bit. She tried her hardest not to imagine how she would feel if something similar would happen to her home planet when a certain word that Patty had said created a new spark of interest.

"What do you mean by broken?"

A hologram appeared in front of Judy's eyes that made her heart sink even more. The world Patty projected was indeed broken in the literal sense of the word. There was no complete globe but only pieces floating around a glowing core in space. If Judy had to guess she would assume that some pieces were as big as continents whereas others were just some kilometers in diameter.

"How...how could something like this happen? That's terrible," Judy asked confused.

"Unclear, but until this day is the unstable core still ejecting large amounts of energy, radiation and the force itself. No one is allowed to enter the star system of Vulpentis and several beacons were installed around the planet to ensure that no ship would come too close," Patty explained.

"I never heard of a planet that was destroyed by its own core," Judy said her eyes still concentrated on the wide and empty space in front of her. The sleepiness she felt was suddenly gone. Patty answered, "Analysis of the planet revealed that the core of Vulpentis is special. The main part of it contains highly concentrated kyber crystals."

"You mean...like in a lightsaber," Judy said and crossed her legs, preparing herself for meditation. The events of the last two days were still vivid on her mind and especially the last information she had received was something that bothered her.

"Yes, Captain. Similar," Patty answered and dimmed the light around Judy, who had closed her eyes to concentrate on her inner turmoil.

"Concentrate, Judy. You did this a thousand times before," Forcing herself to meditation, she began to recite the Jedi codex, "There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the force."

But no matter how often she repeated the recitation, it didn't help. Her mind was creating the cruelest ideas and images. Most of them surrounded her home and how everything was burning or already in ashes. Her family was slaughtered and Judy was unable to protect them.

Her heartbeat became faster and faster until she forced herself to open her eyes. Panting with shaking paws, Judy began to push buttons in front of her until a familiar face appeared on the screen in front of her.

"Oh my. Good morning, Judy. Everything alright with you my dear? Are you crying," her mother asked with a concerned undertone? On her arm was a bunny which wasn't even a year old and had a pacifier in her muzzle to keep the little thing calm. Judy didn't know the kit. She was away for too long from home to do so but the kit was obviously one of her nieces. The grey and cream-colored fur she saw told her everything she needed to know.

"I'm fine, Mum. I just wanted to see a familiar face and...and that you're all okay," Judy said and wiped a tear of joy from her eye. Bonnie was confused, "Oh dear, of course, we are okay...well besides from your father, who can't stop to argue with our neighbor about this stupid fish pond on the outskirts of our property. You know the one you and your siblings always used as kits to swim in."

"The one with the big old oak on one side, from where you can jump into the middle of the pond," Judy asked back and added after some seconds with a sheepish smile, "...and which we weren't allowed to do?"

Her mother replied to her smile in the same manner and added her infamous rolling eyes gesture, "Yes dear, that one."

"What happened," Judy asked curiously and leaned with her paws forward but still remaining in her crossed leg position. Her mother took a deep breath and began to speak, "Oh sweet cheese and cracker, where do I start?"

The conversation went on for twenty more minutes and was full of laughter and more questions about the incident from Judy's side until a horde of bunnies entered the kitchen area. Everyone wanted to greet their older sister and aunt but Bonnie Hopps stopped them where they stood and sent them right to their destined places at the breakfast table.

"I'm sorry, Judy but a lot of bunnies need my attention. But please call me whenever you feel the need for a little mother-daughter conversation. Bye."

"Bye," Judy replied and exhaled deeply. The last frame of her mother surrounded by dozens of smaller bunnies was still in place but the connection already canceled. Her mind was slowly coming back to her current struggle and all the things she had learned today. All of it was like a pain that manifested in her neck. Most of the time, meditation was the only way she knew to put her mind at ease and give her some kind of relief. She wanted finally to begin and closed her eyes, when she heard a voice to the left of her captain's seat, not far from her ear.

"Now look, who's violating the Jedi code here," Nick whispered grinning and startled Judy, who jumped slightly away from the fox and towards the other side of the chair, "And then even with such a heavy violation…but don't worry. I won't tell the council about it."

"It...it's not what you think, Nick!"

"Like I said. Don't worry, Carrots. I'm actually glad that you still have an anchor in the real world."

"Wha...what do you want," Judy asked shocked, her heart beating like crazy in her chest.

"I can't sleep and watching the stars fly by in Hyperspace always makes me drowsy...so move over for me, " Nick replied and jumped right next to Judy, who had just enough time to roll to the right armrest. She was once again surprised by the fox who made her forget what she actually wanted to do. And so they remained silent for a while. Sitting side by side. It was Nick who broke the silence by pointing both of his paws at the last image of Judy's transmission.

"I don't get it, Carrots. You had all of this? A home, a family, friends...maybe even a loving buck somewhere in your future but you trade all of this to become a Jedi? To quote a stable genius, this must've been the worst trade deal in the history of tread deals, maybe ever," Nick said, folding his paws behind his head and looking at Judy's family.

Sighing, Judy pushed a button on the armchair and closed the program which made the image of her mother disappear, "Well, believe it or not, but for me it's an honor to be a Jedi, Slick."

"Honor doesn't make you happy, Fluff. Believe me."

"Maybe not but it helps to protect the people in this Galaxy and that makes them happy, which on the other side makes me happy," Judy explained.

"Captain, we will enter Hyperspace in a minute," Patty, the AI of the Stargazer said.

"Thanks, Patty."

Judy rubbed her eyes and after a quick but strong shake of the ship, they entered the space of stretching stars, where they traveled at a speed faster than light to a place she had never seen before.

"If you ask me, Fluff, that sounds like self-deception with extra steps," Nick said and closed his eyes. Judy wanted to talk back but she felt how the day was finally closing in on her and the strength to argue with someone like Nick was long gone. Both of them yawned at the same time and chuckled about it.

"Maybe...but it's the future that I have chosen for myself," Judy replied, feeling oddly relaxed. For a moment she reflected if the feeling was there because Nick was so close to her but she disregarded the thought rather quickly and labeled it for herself as idiotic.

"Really...how old were you when you made this decision? Four...maybe five years? Not really an age to take steps that define your whole life."

"I was five and almost too old to join but it was still my decision and mine alone. But that's in the past now…," Judy said when a question came to her mind that bothered her since she had read Nick's case file,"...speaking of which. There's something I found odd about your past."

"Ohh, really? I'm curious what you could find odd about a Jedi who faked his own death and began a life on the run," Nick asked back, still grinning into the void of space in front of him but peeking from time to time at Judy.

"The name of your master *yawn* it was deleted from every file and every record in the archives...Why," Judy asked with a sleepy voice that became more and more silent with every word she spoke. Her head laid on the armrest of the Captain's chair and her eyelids had become tiny slits, through which she watched Nick and how he reacted. Sleep was close, she could feel it.

Nick was still smirking but at this point in time, it was nothing more than a mask to hide what he really thought or felt. It took him a while to find the right words but dedicated to answering her question, Nick turned to Judy.

"You know, Carrots, it's not easy for me to talk about this but…," Nick began but fell silent the moment he saw the sleeping bunny. He took off his jacket and placed it carefully over Judy. Nick closed his eyes and said to himself, "Look at you, Wilde. You know this bunny for just a day but you're ready to spill the beans about your whole life. I shouldn't get too attached to her. That would make things just more *yawn*...complicated."

It didn't take long and both of them were sleeping peacefully.

A/N: Many thanks to J Shute Norway for correcting my bad English.


	5. Meeting of the Dark Side

**Chapter 5 - Meeting of the Dark Side**

* * *

!FYI! The events in this story are taking place approximately one year before the events of the Phantom Menace !FYI!

Location: Coruscant

* * *

Honey stood restlessly at the window of a conference room somewhere in central Coruscant. The room was below most other buildings and badly illuminated, what made matters even worse the glowing lava underneath this building created an eerie feeling that made her very uncomfortable. The badger was dressed in her dark laboratory uniform and the typical white lab coat that she always wore.

They were not far away from the Jedi temple and the Senate or to make it more clear - enemy territory. Her eyes were hurting from staring down into the red glowing gap, where nothing existed but melting rocks and burning trash from the world above. It would have been completely silent if it wasn't for the badger nervously moving her feet, mostly to the annoyance of the second mammal in the room.

"Honey, my dear, could you please keep your claws under control? Your nerves are beginning to wreck mine too," Lord Ovis said from her small chair, placed on top of the conference table. Leaning back in it the Sith Lord had an amused smile on her face that was just as sweet as deadly.

"I...I'm sorry, ma'am...I mean, of course, my lady. B-but shouldn't we've waited for Darth Antila? Just in case?"

"Please, you know how much fun she has with her little concerts. To force her into this meeting would have been cruel. Also, you disappoint me, Honey. Is your trust in me so low that you think I couldn't handle two Siths who are nothing but children in comparison to me?" Lord Ovis said before cackling, amused by Honey's fear and the upcoming realization, what the badger had just said to the one person who decided about her life and even more dangerous – her death.

Terrified about her own insolence, Honey grabbed the metal ring around her neck to check if it was still blinking with a reassuring green light. It did and that calmed Honey's stressed nerves a lot.

"And thinking that I would kill you because of such a triviality, my dear? I don't know what hurts more, the feeling of being underestimated or the one of being seen as an ice-cold killer from my own subordinates," Lord Ovis continued to tease Honey to her own amusement.

"I-I'm sorry," Honey replied and bowed her head, fearing what would happen next.

"Forget it, my dear, and don't worry about those two, whom we will soon meet, they're no danger to me...but in case they become cocky...Well, I'm sure I can still teach them one thing or two," the Sith said, hidden by the shadows on her side of the table. Honey was sure that she was grinning. She enjoyed situations like this.

A jolly mood for the old Sith lady was always a good sign and Honey decided to use it for some small talk.

"Do you think they will come?"

"I'm sure that someone will come. The old, wise, Darth Plagueis? Probably not. But his younger and curious apprentice Darth Sidious? I would bet on it," Lord Ovis replied. Her gaze focused on the door behind the long conference table but nothing happened.

"May I ask you another question?"

"You may."

"Why did you give the lead of Charon's soldiers to Jack? Doesn't that create just unnecessary problems and tension? You know how jealous he can be," Honey said. For the first time since they arrived in this conference room, Lord Ovis looked directly at her. Honey's master had a grin on her face. Green eyes glowed behind large glasses, fakes to make her appear weaker in front of enemies.

"Oh Honey, how long have you served me for now?"

"Twenty-nine years, six months and two days," Honey replied without thinking another second about it and turned her own gaze to the ground. Of course, she knew how long she'd been her prisoner. Every morning, when she was looking in the mirror of her little room and saw the ring around her neck she was reminded of this fact. She counted every single day and hoped that all of this would be one day nothing more than a nightmare. Until then she had to endure this. Honey could no longer stand the Sith's stare and turned her own gaze to the ground.

"Shouldn't you know by now that I gave Darth Lepus this power because of the same reason I arranged this meeting today?"

Before Honey could even articulate her answer and apology to her master, the double-sided steel doors slid aside and a group stepped into the conference room. In front walked two dark hooded figures escorted by eight battle droids behind them, four of them behind each figure with loaded blasters in hand.

'Why are there droids here?' Honey thought, almost shouting the words in panic. She was a scientist through and through and numbers were her profession and, right now, those numbers were definitely against them. A quick look at her master and Honey recognized that Lord Ovis was totally calm. No signs of fear. She even seemed to enjoy what was happening in front of her.

The disguised figure in the center flipped his hood back. An elderly human was underneath it. His hair was grey and already retreating to a point where it showed a high forehead. In Honey's eyes, he looked like a bureaucrat or a politician but not really like a dangerous Sith lord. He was in no way anything she had expected. When she took a look at her own Sith Lord she smiled a crooked smile and reminded her that she was in no position to mock others.

"What a dramatic appearance," Lord Ovis said amused and clapped slowly with her claws, "I love it."

The still hooded figure took a sudden step forward, almost as if the Sith underneath the cloak wanted to attack but was immediately stopped by the old man.

"Are you mocking us for coming here?" the old man asked.

"Oh, not at all," Lord Ovis reassured, "I just know to appreciate an entrance like that. A good show for your audience is so important especially to strike this extra bit of fear into their little hearts. Wouldn't you agree, Darth Sidious?"

"Indeed it is," Darth Sidious replied and waited. Silence filled the room during which Darth Sidious and Lord Ovis seemed to examine each other but not with their eyes. The beings of the dark side had the force to get their information about their opponent.

"Please, take a seat," Lord Ovis said, pointing with her left claw to the end of the long conference table that was right in front of the new guests. "We shouldn't forget our courtesies in these modern times or we're nothing else than savages. Wouldn't you also agree, senator of the planet Naboo and speaker of the house Palpatine?"

"You know," Darth Sidious remarked with suspicion in his eyes, when he heard his real name. Neither he nor his companion took the seats in front of them.

Giggling like a girl who'd just revealed the newest gossip to her friends, Lord Ovis replied. "Oh please, if you've lived as long as I did you would also have your trustful sources of information."

"I see."

"Oh, do you?"

Darth Sidious's face moved but Honey wasn't sure what he wanted to express. At first it seemed like disgust but it was very fast replaced by an emotion she knew just too well from her own master – annoyance.

"I don't want to be rude or disrespectful but I'm not here to have some small talk with an elderly Sith needing my help with whatever she wants me to do. I have a goal to achieve, so please tell me what you want, and maybe we can have an agreement, maybe even cooperation for future endeavors. I'm sure we can find a way to join forces and fight against our common enemy," Darth Sidious replied with a smile on his lips that was trained to the point of perfection. A politician through and through, Honey thought.

Lord Ovis didn't reply instantly but every eye in the room was locked at the small figure on top of the table. Her appearance hidden in the shadows.

Her laughter began slowly but rose quickly to a high pitched giggling that froze the blood in Honey's body. Lord Ovis stood up from her chair and walked towards the other end of the table and towards the point where the light would reveal her appearance.

"You would truly help an old biddy like me? Someone who's too weak to be of any use but who's still searching for an ally to assist her?" Lord Ovis asked, the sarcasm in her voice so strong that even an idiot would understand it. She stepped out of the shadows and into the light. A small female sheep with white wool stood there in the middle of the table. She was dressed in a black dress that looked heavy on her and went down to her ankles. Only her small hooves were showing. The big glasses in front of her eyes reinforced the impression of a small and weak prey mammal, but Honey knew that it was a mistake to categorize her as weak. She was an apex predator. Ready to kill at any given time.

"Let me ask you one question...why the hell do you think you are here, boy?"

"Pardon?" Darth Sidious asked, confused by the sudden change of tone he received from the meek-looking creature in front of him.

Lord Ovis laughed again, this time holding her tummy as she tried to contain it all. "You really...hahaha...you really think I would arrange this meeting because I would need help? From you? That's cute."

"Then why are we here?" Darth Sidious asked impatiently.

For a moment, Lord Ovis looked at her meeting partner. The room was once again quiet and just some vehicles could be heard flying by.

"Let me tell you a story, boy, to make you understand who I am," Lord Ovis said but there was no reaction from Darth Sidious. He remained silent and took in every word she said, "I'm old...very old in fact even for my own species. I was there when the old Sith Order still existed. I saw and joined the last wars between the Jedi Order and the Sith Brotherhood during the ending times of the old republic and I can tell you, they were magnificent. Chaos and fear in every star system from Coruscant to the edges of our known galaxy. Hundreds and hundreds of Sith fought against the Jedi who were just as strong in numbers and casualties on both sides were high after all, it was war? The weak died and the strong survived, just as it has ever been. It was what it was until…"

Lord Ovis was looking at Honey, her back turned to Darth Sidious, his mysterious companion and his guards. The old Sith looked weary talking about her past. Honey had never heard the full story, always just bits and snippets but it was enough to get at least a glimpse of understanding about her.

A deep sigh escaped Lord Ovis muzzle before she continued to talk.

"...Until our _leader,_ Darth Bane, decided to change the course of the Sith forever. We had just lost an important battle against the Jedi in the Mid Rim section. Our last great battle. Not knowing what would happen, we all came together on the cursed planet of Moraband, where he explained this new path he had chosen for us. The rule of two he called it. We listened and agreed that this plan...this idea would be the best for the Sith in the long run. One vision, that one day the Sith would rule once again over the republic. It sounded too good to be true," Lord Ovis said, her eyes still fixed on Honey and filled with grief about her former life. The badger had never seen her like this and it made her almost feel something like empathy for the old hag. Almost.

"And I have to admit that I was at first for this idea. Keep the numbers small. Train, grow, and pass your knowledge on to the next generation until their power is enough to take over the Galaxy. Sounds simple, doesn't it?"

"It does and it works perfectly if you ask me," Darth Sidious replied.

"You're right. It does work and Darth Bane knew that. So he moved on, executed his plan and…, " Lord Ovis made a break. Her face distorted in annoyance, while she turned back to Darth Sidious, "...Everything became so boring! No more fights, no more battles, or in other words the chaos ended. Ugh, it was terrible. Peace became the default in the whole Galaxy. With every passing day, I realized more and more that this was a mistake but it was too late to revert it. Sooner rather than later, what had to happen happened. The remaining Siths got killed one by one until only a handful of us remained and I understood what Bane didn't or couldn't."

"And that is?" Darth Sidious asked. He had finally taken his seat to be on eye level with Lord Ovis.

"We're not meant to rule anything."

Sidious chuckled about this absurd answer from Lord Ovis and replied, "That sounds to me like the realization of a sore loser, who wasn't picked as the one to continue the legacy of the Sith Order. I expected more from someone experienced as you, Lord Ovis."

Just for a moment, Honey believed to see the beginning of an emotional outburst from her master. An outburst in which she would kill those two instantly and without any regret. Honey knew that Lord Ovis had killed other enemies and allies for much less but she kept her nerves much to the badger's surprise. At least for the moment.

"You think you can compete with me, boy? A Sith Lord over 1200-year-old?"

Calm and collected, Lord Ovis folded her arms on her back, right above her small white, tail, and began to walk in small steps towards the other two Sith. A meter away from them, when she did her last step, two objects fell from underneath the left and right side of her skirt and swirled into the air. Except for Honey who hid herself behind a chair, nobody in the room was ready for what was coming for them.

Darth Sidious and his apprentice had just enough time to draw their lightsabers and parry the attack. Their attempt was weak at best and forced them to stand back to back not even a second later, red lightsaber against red lightsaber. The pressure from the saber and the force which was in control of it was immense.

Sidious's droids reacted immediately and stepped around the table to lock their aim onto the small Sith Lord, who was grinning at Darth Sidious and his apprentice. Lord Ovis didn't even seem to be aware of the threat that was surrounding her while eight heavy blasters were pointing at her.

"Stop the attack or my droids will fire! You may have the advantage over me and my apprentice but you're out of options!" Sidious shouted while he tried to push back the lightsaber in front of him. The screeching of clashing plasma filled the air.

The sound of loading blasters echoed through the room and struck even more fear into Honey, who was cowering behind a chair, trying her best to keep herself out of the conflict.

"Out of options? Oh boy, you should have done your homework. Because if you had done it, you would know that I'm the only Sith who had perfected fighting with four lightsabers. This technique is one of the reasons why I received my special little nickname," Lord Ovis explained while two more cylindric, metal objects swirled from under skirt towards the high ceiling of the room, where they circled for a moment like hawks in the sky before throwing themselves down onto the droids.

Red plasma began to cut through metal as if it was butter and sparks flew through the air of the conference room. One after another fell to the ground without even firing a shot. In the end, it took her just a mere handful of seconds to reduce Sidious' droids to nothing more than rubble. Lord Ovis had even destroyed the blaster just to be sure that they couldn't be used as a weapon against her.

Loyal like dogs, her two blades returned to their master and began to hover around her, still glowing red and ready to strike again.

"Almost six hundred years have passed since I wielded my own lightsabers in a battle with my own claws. By now, this technique you see here is so common for me that I don't even have to think about it. It's like breathing or drinking water, you know?" Lord Ovis explained, pretending to wipe some dirt off her dress. "Now, where were we? Oh, yes! My nickname! You surely heard of it. The one my enemies gave me over the centuries and which I wear with some pride."

"Yes!" Darth Sidious replied.

"Good," Lord Ovis said amused, while she levitated the head of a destroyed droid over to her, planning to use it as a chair. Ladylike, she sat down on the droid's head, crossed one leg over the other and folded her claws around her knee. When she was done, she grinned like the devil himself while the small sheep ordered Sidious, "Say it."

"What?" Darth Sidious replied, stressed by the lightsaber, shifting its pressure and angle as if it was wielded by a real invisible swordsman.

"You heard me. Say. My. Name."

"If you want an apology for the things I had said, then just say it! Now stop your attack! I'm not here to fight or to attract any attention from the nearby Jedi!" Sidious replied, but Lord Ovis didn't even think about stopping her current action. Instead, she continued to put some more pressure onto him and his apprentice.

"Please, what should I do with the useless apology of a politician? No, I want you to say my name. Nothing more and nothing less."

"That's insane!" Sidious protested with so much anger in his voice that Honey pressed her nails deeper into the backrest of the chair she clasped to keep her safe.

Lord Ovis chuckled about the remark and began to inspect if her claws had any dirt on them, "Yeah, that could be...but to my defense hundreds of years of consciousness can take a heavy price on your sanity. Well, you know what I want to hear, right?"

Sidious stayed angry and it was obvious for every remaining person in the room that he was trying to find a solution to his problem through the pure force of his emotions. His anger was almost visible but he was not able to focus it on the task to fight back. Something or someone was hindering him.

In the end, it was the pleading of his apprentice that began to change his mind, "Master! I don't know what's wrong with you but we don't have to fight this battle. Just say her name!" A dark and deep voice replied from under the hood that made Honey curious what for an alien he could be.

Despite the demand from his apprentice, it took Darth Sidious at least another minute to find the strength to end the fight and let go of his emotions.

"Fine. I yield," Darth Sidious said, exhaling deeply before he gave his answer. The male human looked confused when he turned his head towards the old Sith lord but it seemed as if he had no idea what just happened. Honey, however, knew exactly what had happened and looked at the sheep on the table.

"Crimson Witch. That's what they call you and when I look at what you and what you just did...I understand why."

The last two lightsabers returned to their master. All four of them gathered behind her like an outspread hand fan, illuminating her in a blood-red color that gave her an almost demonic aura. Even Honey who knew her for a long time began to shiver when she saw this.

"Good boy." Lord Ovis said and continued, "And now, I want to see your apprentice."

"Why?"

"Sheer interest," Ovis replied with a smile. Without a direct order from his master, the apprentice took down his hood. Black and red skin with yellow eyes were the first things that Honey and Lord Ovis saw, as well as a number of horns which grew from his bald head.

"Well, well, well, now what do we have here? Isn't that a male Zabrak from the planet Dathomir? How did you manage to break him free from the Nightsisters? I thought they had fanatic control over every male that lives on Dathomir?" Lord Ovis asked, interested and for the first time even a little bit impressed by Darth Sidious's accomplishment.

"Let's say I have my own ways to get what I want, even if it means to deal with a matriarchal priest who wanted to kill me in the end," Sidious replied with some audible aversion and put out his lightsaber. It disappeared with a discreet move of his right hand into the long sleeve of his robe.

"I see," Lord Ovis replied and turned to the apprentice, "But please tell me your name, boy. And don't worry you don't have to be afraid of the little witch in front of you."

The young Sith apprentice could have just let go of the remark from the old Sith but there was something in the patronizing smile of Lord Ovis that provoked him to his core. In an instant, his cool-headed behavior from the lightsaber duel was gone and he snapped at her, his dual bladed lightsaber still in hand.

"My name is Darth Maul and I'm not afraid of a meek, little creature like you," Maul replied with disgust. He kept a constant eye on the lightsabers that were still floating in mid-air behind their Sith master.

"Why is it that young people always have so little respect for their elders?" Lord Ovis joked, but Honey could already hear the annoyed undertone in her voice.

"I do respect my elders but I don't respect you! The ultimate goal of a Sith should always be to rule about others! "

"Watch out what you say, boy." Lord Ovis replied, standing up from the droid's head. The gaze of the sheep and the Zabrak were locked onto each other. But while Lord Ovis's eyes were calm and searching, Darth Maul's yellow eyes began to twitch and tried to escape the gaze of his opponent. Darth Sidious, who stood beside his apprentice, just watched what was happening with great interest but didn't intervene. He had never seen what the old Sith lady was truly capable of and was curious about it. Honey wasn't. She knew what her master was doing with Darth Sidious apprentice because she had experienced it once by herself. In contrast to other Siths, she didn't attack the body of her opponent, no that would be too easy for her. She attacked their mind, searched for their greatest fear, and multiplied those fears by a thousand. Over the years, Honey had seen a lot of people after this torture, broken inside and without the smallest spark of life left in their eyes.

"Stop it! Stay out of my head, Witch!" Darth Maul squealed through clenched teeth, slowly going down on his knees. It was just as Honey expected, as soon as you experienced her power by yourself, you knew what she could do.

"So...your Brother, ey? Let me give you a little 'mind' challenge and see if you will succeed with it or go mad."

"Stop it...please," Maul began to plead but Honey knew it was much too late for something like empathy from her master, probably several hundred years too late. His whole body began to tremble so much so that he dropped his double-bladed lightsaber. Honey pitied him with every second more in which Lord Ovis continued to roam through his mind in search of some usable thoughts and memories. She bet he was no saint but nobody deserved such horrible treatment.

"So, you can read the mind of your enemies and toy with their emotions...You did the same to me. You tempted me to give in to my anger. Am I right?" Darth Sidious asked.

"Maybe," Lord Ovis replied grinning and obviously amused about the moaning Zabrak on the ground. If agony had a face it would be the one of Darth Maul who was rolling in the dirt, fighting his own battle in his mind.

"I must say you're truly a terrifying being." Darth Sidious stated, watching nervously as his apprentice crouched down in absolute pain.

"Oh please, stop the flattering. I might blush if you continue like this."

"Before this all went wrong you wanted to tell me something and maybe I was too quick on judging you. Maybe I should've listened." Darth Sidious said.

"Still a maybe? You disappoint me Sidious. Also, is this the politician Palpatine sweet talking to me right now or is it the Sith who still wants to expand his own little universe?"

"The latter and even so I'm sure that you don't believe me...I'm willing to listen."

"You're right, I don't believe you but I guess that's a common problem between Sith. We simply know what we are too well ."

Lord Ovis gave him a small smile before she returned to the droids head, on which she placed herself. Darth Maul who still laid on the ground seemed mostly unconscious except for some twitches and moans here and there. Sidious's dominance with which he had arrived was gone and all he had left was to listen to someone who was in his eyes inferior but still proved to be more powerful. He didn't have to speak it out loud, his eyes gave away this secret.

"As I told you, Sidious, I'm old. Very old. 1263 years to be precise. Some of this age is due to my species but I'm well aware that the force and my knowledge about it is the bigger part. In all these years, I traveled countless times through the entire galaxy, became a member of the Sith, fought battles against thousands of enemies, was for a while the Queen of a whole solar system, created my own army...and at one point even joined, at least for a while, the Jedi Order. And do you know why? Because that's the very nature of the Sith." Lord Ovis said and watched carefully for the reaction on Sidious's face. What he showed was clear, unfiltered disgust.

"The...Jedi? I never thought you would have gone so far...You truly hold no honor in the Sith principles. Abandoning them just like this...It's a shame and a disgrace." Sidious said, staring at the sheep. From below the table came a series of grunts that indicated that Darth Maul's mind wasn't broken. He forced himself back on his own two feet. His stand was shaky but he stood.

"Are you still sane? What happened?" Sidious asked his apprentice.

"I...I don't know...not for sure. I was on Dathomir...at home at the temple and witnessed the death of my brother over and over again. There was...was no escape in sight and no way to save him." Maul explained and stared with blank eyes to the ground in front of him that turned furious as soon as he raised his head and looked at the innocent smiling sheep.

"How did you solve your predicament, boy?" Ovis asked with a smile on her muzzle.

Pulled back into the dark of his own memories where he relived it again, Maul closed his eyes and began to speak.

"I...I killed him myself and ended his suffering before mine could begin but that didn't end the cycle. No, it went on, same as before. So, I killed him again...and again...and again. Until there was nothing left to fear or feel." Maul said in a devastating voice.

"And then?" Sidious asked and with his question returned a short silence in which Maul tried to concentrate.

"It ended...and I awoke here."

"Do you understand what I did, boy? Do you understand what a gift I gave you?" Ovis asked.

"Gift? You tortured me, you damned, Witch," Maul replied as he grabbed for his lightsaber on the ground. His movement was fast but not fast enough. Two lightsabers from Lord Ovis blocked one side of his double-sided weapon in midair and let sparks of red plasma fly through the room.

"You don't get it and neither does your master!" Ovis said, her smile slowly vanishing from her face.

"Oh, don't worry, I understand it very well. You're a traitor! And because of that, I'll treat you like any other traitor!" Maul shouted, pushing his saber harder against the two of Lord Ovis. But the old Sith Lord had enough of this conversation. Sidious stepped back from the table and turned to his apprentice, "It's enough! Don't take it too far!"

The command of his master forbade any objection but there was no time to do anything. Even defending was no option. With the small gesture of her left claw, Lord Ovis produced a force push that knocked Maul from his feet and slammed him right into the wall that stood several meters behind him. Instead of dropping him to the ground, the old Sith lord held Maul in place and gave him just enough air to stay conscious.

"You two call me a traitor or someone who abandoned the basic rules of the Sith? I live every second of my life to those core beliefs, you fools. More than you ever could!"

With a choked voice, Darth Maul continued to speak his mind, the warning of his master long forgotten. "Liar! You joined the enemy and refused to hold power! You're nothing but a failure!"

A chuckle came from the small sheep on the edge of the table, hiding her face behind her claws as she laughed. The high pitched voice sounded eerie in the conference room and it didn't take long until Lord Ovis chuckle rose to mad laughter.

"Let me remind you of our _core principals,_ Darth Maul." Lord Ovis said, grinning and pointing her left claw in his direction. Blue lightning began to gather around the claw until the old master decided that it was enough. The concentrated energy made its way to Maul and hit him directly in the chest. He yelled in pain, while Lord Ovis began to recite the Sith codex in a loud voice that still managed to be louder than his screams.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion! Through passion I gain Strength! Through strength I gain power! Through power I gain victory!"

The lightning ended and Maul slammed to the ground with dull sound. Sidious came closer. He tried to intervene and shouted at her, "That's enough, Lord Ovis! I'm sure he has learned his lesson."

"Maybe he has...but just to help him remember it forever, I will finish this little lecture." Lord Ovis jumped from the edge of the table and landed gracefully on the ground, her lightsabers following her wherever she went. She stopped right in front of Maul who was hurt but in no critical danger. Hate spread from his yellow eyes as he watched her.

"Now, boy. Please finish for me the recitation of our Codex. I'll wait."

"Through victory...my chains are broken. The force shall free me." Maul said under great pain and Lord Ovis repeated with spread out arms.

"The force shall free me. That's it! That's what truly matters! I am free and that's why I ruled over my own solar system or joined the Jedi or even destroyed a whole planet. I did this because I could and because I'm free. Nothing binds me to any rules and that's what differs us from the Jedi, who are bound by countless rules and obligations. We are what they can never be."

Maul and Sidious became silent and watched Lord Ovis, while she continued to explain her beliefs.

"Do you understand what that means in regards to everything? No? Well, of course not. You're just blinded by the rule of two and the possibility to rule over the galaxy through your little schemes which you planned over the years. For what? To rule over the people in this galaxy like the Jedi did in the past? Where's your freedom, I ask you? It's gone! All the years of work just to become what you fought before, a creature enslaved by rules and obligations. And one day everything dies." Lord Ovis explained, her grin and the good mood were gone.

"What do you mean when you say that everything dies?"

"Tse...can't you see it? Look at the current state of the republic, crowded with politicians like yourself. All talk and no action. The whole Galaxy is dying in stagnation and peace...and the Jedi? They're doing nothing because they are the peacekeeper of the current order but we, the Sith, on the other hand were once the force who brought change! We are the chaos that challenges the order. One side of the same coin. Intended to fight an eternal fight to keep the balance of the force." The sheep in her black dress finished her explanation and folded her arms behind her back.

"What if we bring balance to the force by defeating the Jedi and remain as the only force in the galaxy? Wouldn't that end the conflict as well?" Sidious asked. Honey couldn't decide if he was mocking Lord Ovis or if that was an honest question from him.

"You don't get it, boy?" Lord Ovis said and shook her head in disbelief, "Even if you're able to destroy the Jedi. Kill them one by one and make yourself the new Emperor of your galactic Empire, even then it wouldn't end because nothing ever ends. All you would become is the new order that replaces the old one. But don't worry, I know the force long enough to be sure that it will bring forward someone to fight you. A new chaos to challenge your order. That's why the Je'daii order of the old days, the first user of the force, drew their power from the light and the dark side. They lived in a perfect balance without preferring one side over the other. Unfortunately all we know today is how to live in one extreme or the other and, to make matters even worse, their old teachings are long gone."

"If you don't believe in the rule of two or don't have the will to rule... what do you want to do?" Sidious asked. He looked at her with a curious face that was waiting for more information, like a thirsty man who's on the edge of dehydration.

"Me? Oh, I'm a simple girl, you see? I know I can't restore the balance in the force and I don't even want to... what I want to do is to have fun. And if you ask I would say there exists an awful large amount of Jedi, nowadays. So, what I'll do is I'll play my games with them and enjoy myself. Nothing more." Lord Ovis replied with a new gained smile on her face.

"You truly deserve the name Crimson Witch...but why have you invited me?"

"Two reasons. First of all, I was curious what the rule of two would create for a Sith after all those centuries and honestly, I'm pretty disappointed. Nine hundred years of training and passed on knowledge and all it could bring forth was a politician like you? Even your own apprentice has more boldness in his bones than you." Ovis mocked but Sidious's face didn't move an inch.

"And second?"

Ovis sighed and her lightsaber turned off and hovered back to her. One after the other disappeared shortly after underneath her long, black skirt, where they waited for their next surprise attack.

"Isn't it obvious? I wanted to warn you. So listen, If you should interfere with my plans in any way, then I will cut you down like your useless droids. And I don't care if the rule of two would end because of me, I've spent too much time bothering about its end. It's my time to step out of the shadows, shake this Galaxy awake and have some fun. Do you understand me, boy?" Ovis asked and looked up to him, directly into his eyes.

"Yes...There will be no problems."

"Perfect!" Lord Ovis said and smiled brightly at him. "Honey, we're done here."

"Yes, Ma'am." Honey replied obediently, walking past the destroyed bodys of the battle droids. Each cut down in seconds with no chance of victory. When Honey had reached Lord Ovis, the sheep turned for a last time to Darth Sidious, who still looked down at her with a neutral expression on his face. The politician in him was undeniable.

"A last tip, boy. Don't wait too long to kill your old master Plagueis. He's no longer at the heights of his potential but still way too dangerous to be taken lightly by someone like you." Lord Ovis said, leaving the room with her arms folded on her back. When they exited the door, Darth Maul's gaze was on her but there were no last words for him. Just a stare full of hatred.

The metal doors closed and Lord Ovis exhaled deeply, relieved how well the meeting went down for her.

"What a nice get-together. I think we delivered our message properly and now we can fly towards Naboo and watch how the events will unfold there. What do you say, Honey? Wanna bet that someone will die?" Lord Ovis asked the slightly taller badger, who tried to avoid her gaze.

"I...I don't like to bet on lives."

"Killjoy...Well, I hope that Darth Antila likes to bet with me back on the ship," Lord Ovis replied, chuckling. Honey had never thought that her mood could become even better but it did. In a strange way, her master loved it when events didn't unfold how they should. It made the old Sith lady excited for the unexpected. Whatever would happen, Honey had a bad feeling about the events to come.

* * *

A/N: Many thanks to TheNightManager and J Shute Norway for the editing and beta reading. I really appreciate it.


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